Education Sub-Cluster-Hudaydah Meeting Minutes-Hudaydah Hub 19 April 2020

Venue: Zoom Meeting (Online) due to precautionary measures for COVID-19

Date/Time: Sunday, 19-04-2020/ 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Participants from Government and Local Authorities: National level (MoE- Sana’a Technical Office, MoE Statistics and Planning

Manager). Governorate levels (Hajjah Education Office Manager, Hudaydah Education Office’ Coordinator, (Head of SCAMCHA-Hajjah,

Deputy Head of SCAMCHA-Hajjah, SCAMCHA- Hajjah Humanitarian Coordinator)).

Education Partners’ Participants: Yemen Education Cluster Coordinator, UNICEF, NRC, War Child, NFDHR, SFD, VHI, ADO, AGF, I am for

My Country, SADA, Qatar Charity, Manahel, Aspher Rea Sea, Al Ghad Foundation, Response MENA

Partners (Not Attended): Care, SCI, BFD, ZOA, PWP

Meeting Agenda

1. Welcoming, Introduction, and Agenda 2. Review action points of previous meeting 3. Education intervention for COVID-19 in schools 4. Updates on partners’ Education Intervention in Hudaydah

and Hajjah governorates. 5. Teachers’ Incentives (Gov. Salaries VS. UNICEF Incentives) 6. AOB

Meeting Minutes

Agenda discussed Action points

1. Welcoming, Introduction and agenda.

Education Sub-Cluster coordination meeting- Hudaydah hub started at 10:00 AM in the

same day and date mentioned above. The meeting begun with welcoming the participants

from MoE-Sana’a, Yemen Education Cluster Coordinator, Heads of EO and SCMCHA offices

in Hajjah governorates, and representatives of UN/INGOs/and LNGOs. ESNCC appreciated

and warmly thanked all for attending. Then introducing each other started followed by

reading the agenda.

Thereafter, the newly Yemen Education National Cluster Coordinator Rania Zakhia has

been warmly welcomed and introduced to all participants. And ESNCC appreciated her

effective efforts she did for Yemen Education Cluster in very short time. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Review action points of previous meeting:

o ESNCC-Hudaydah Hub reviewed and summarized the outcomes of the previous sub-cluster

coordination meeting which included all four governorates in Hudaydah hub (Hudaydah, Hajjah,

Mahweet, and Raymah) with attendance of MoE-Deputy Minister- Head of MoE-Technical

Office Mr. Ali Alhaimi, EOs Managers, Heads of SCAMCHAs in the four governorates, as follows:

MoE- Deputy Minister’s Action Points: the priorities of General Education Needs:

- Providing Teachers Incentives

- Provision of TLS/Additional classes along with its scholastic materials.

- Support MoE Textbooks Press to assist in providing Schoolbooks. Partners who have an

intervention with school bags can add schoolbooks in the bag through MoE Textbooks Press,

which will offer it with very reasonable prices.

- Support Students with School Meals

- School rehabilitation including wash and providing maintenance for school desks.

MoE- Deputy Minister’s Action Points: Recommendations for Partners: - Enhancing real and usual partnership and coordination with MoE starting with preparation,

planning steps, implementation stages, and mentoring and evaluation of projects.

- Focus on development activities and early recovery projects rather than emergency activities.

- Education partners highly requested to plan their projects according to the national vision for

building the new state Yemen.

- Partners to coordinate first with GEO at governorate levels in order to determine the targeted

district and schools before sharing with the donor. Partners can target the district they already in

but with coordination with GEO based on needs.

- Full coordination with MoE and SCMCHA at Sana’a level, GEO and SCMCHA at district and

governorate levels, and the cluster in the area to enhance proper implementation.

- All partners to share their intervention mapping 2020 with the sub-cluster based on the national

vision of new Yemen. ESNCC to share the mapping with MoE in cluster template.

- Partners to share the implemented activities report with the sub-cluster regularly/monthly.

- Absence of key partners noticed regularly, especially today while MoE, GEOs, SCMCHA are

discussing in one table. ESNCC to report to MoE the usual absent partners.

3. Education intervention for COVID-19 in schools

ESNCC requested MoE representatives to clarify the MoE strategy and plan towards response

for COVID-19 specifically to fill the study gap and conduct final exams for the school year 19/20.

MoE- Coordination Unit Manager- Waleed Al-Hashemi- ensured that MoE has taken

precautionary measures to preserve its’ students, as the study and final exams have been

suspended as a preliminary procedure. And the Ministry is currently preparing a plan for

alternative education and access to the student by all available methods. He requested

education partners to clarify what their role for humanitarian aid in intervening to support

the ministry to confront the Covid-19 pandemic.

MoE- Statistics and Plan Manager- Abdulrahman Alsamawi- clarified that the Ministry has

a clear vision to respond to several scenarios against the Covid-19 pandemic. The first most

likely scenario is, in case of the optimistic situation and the absence of an outbreak of

corona in Yemen, the study will resume in schools and take into consideration to conduct

compensation classes for the lessons that students did not receive and then prepare for

the final exams, as compensation classes and final exams can be in August and start the

new school year in September 2020. The second unlikely scenario, in case of outbreak of

corona virus and continuation of the quarantine, schools will remain closed and the

Ministry will seek to reach the students to homes using different technology programs that

provides compensation classes for students to cover the studding gap of the school year

2019/2020, it could be online, through WhatsApp groups or self-education or through

educational television channels, that requires the cooperation of all including family

members. A great effort should be given as such experience has not been done before .

Yemen Education Cluster Coordinator- Rania Zakhia- thanked all participants for

interacting and raising an important issue for protecting schools/students from Covid-19 to

ensure the continuation of the educational process. Commenting on what was presented

by MoE staff, there were extensive meetings and discussions that took place and are still

continuing on a weekly basis between the MoE- Technical Office headed by Mr. Ali Al-Haimi

and the National Cluster to come up with a logical framework that enables for realistic

implementation activities that considers the economic conditions of society. For instance,

as an alternative solution to provide any method among several possible ways, as example,

the lessons to be printed in papers and MoE distributed to students with the support of

partners, the goal is to reach a large segment of children students even in the absence of

access to some students (in villages or displaced students), who will be provided with

alternative solutions after responding to students that can be reached by available

methods. It is possible to benefit from previous experiences in Arab countries that have

had the same scenario. It is desirable for education partners to clarify at what kind of

contribution they have to support or adopt meaningful ideas for alternative education in

such situations. Finally, she requested the partners to identify their ability to respond to

Covid-19 during these times .

Hajjah EO Manager- Ali Alqutaib- thanked all for the interaction and presence in such

circumstances, and reconfirmed that the most important precautionary steps taken by the

MoE against the pandemic of Covid-19 is the suspension of study and closing schools as a

precautionary measure in order to preserve students until further notice. However; most

important is the teachers’ incentives of Mustaba’a and Harad districts of Hajjah

governorate which was not covered under UNICEF plan, claiming that they receive salaries

from Aden government. But that is not true. The truth is that those teachers did not receive

any incentives from Aden and excluding them from UNICEF incentives will cause a problem.

UNICEF is required to reconsider this by including them in teachers’ incentives response.

UNICEF- Education Officer- Mahyoub Alomeri- replied to Hajjah EO manager clarifying

that all teachers’ incentives are proceed by national level in Sana’a. Updated that

Mustaba’a district is still under verification process but Harad district is hard to access and

Action Points: 1. Education partners in Hudaydah hub to

clarify what kind of support they can

provide towards COVID-19 educational

response.

2. Education partners in Hudaydah hub to

contribute with their ideas that serves

to find out an alternative educational

methods in this period of precautions

against covid-19 and share it with MoE

and Education Cluster.

3. ESNCC- Hudaydah hub to communicate

with education partners in the hub and

inform the national cluster and MoE the

kind of support partners will provide for

the response to covid-19.

4. UNICEF Education Officer- Mahyoub

Alomeri to follow up with UNICEF

regarding Mustaba’a and Harad

response with teacher incentives and

share the result with the cluster and

Hajjah Education Officer.

5. ESNCC to design a template for the

pending sub-agreements in Sana’a and

share it with the partners, collect

partners’ inputs, consolidate all inputs

in one matrix and share it with

SCAMCHA at governate level and MoE.

6. Any Education partner has an

emergency intervention for COVID-19 in

schools, should submit their proposal to

MoE with clear details.

7. Education Partners in Hudaydah hub to

cooperate with Education Sub-Cluster

at hub level for effective outputs

towards response to COVID-19 in

Schools.

has no population; however, he will verify that with UNICEF-Sana’a and share the updates

with Hajjah EO manager.

SCAMCHA Hajjah Deputy Manager- Mr. Mohd Alqoshem- thanked the national cluster

and sub-cluster coordinators and all attended partners for their presence and conduct this

meeting during the outbreak of COVID-19. Commenting on the MoE plan to response to

COVID-19, suggesting that plan to include awareness for student to protect them from

corona virus. For the teachers’ incentives, he confirmed what Hajjah EO manager raised

regarding Mustaba’a and Harad districts, and ensured that teachers in Mustaba’a district

did not receive any salaries from Aden. In addition he clarified that all teachers from Harad

district have been displaced to other districts and they deserve their incentives to be paid

in the schools they displaced to. He also informed all that UNICEF did not accommodated

the updated list of teachers and relied on last year list.

UNICEF- Education Officer- Mahyoub Alomeri- replied that UNICEF will not get approval

to distribute teachers’ incentive until it follows the list shared by MoE at national level.

MoE- Coordination Unit Manager- Waleed Al-Hashemi- welcomed the participation of

SCAMCHA-Hajjah and commented on what has been raised as he ensured that MoE has

produced an urgent plan to confront the Corona Virus outbreak and took swift

precautionary measures, in addition MoE is supporting the preparation of a comprehensive

plan to respond to Covid-19 which is (educational-health-economic) that includes an

awareness plan for society about schools to be conducted through MoE, and education

offices at governorate and district levels, and the plan will be shared after the completion

of final review. Therefore, it is more important to know the actual support that education

partners (UN/INGO/LNGO) will provide to assist MoE and EOs to protect students and

schools from Corona virus outbreak.

4. Updates on partners’ Education Intervention in Hudaydah and

Hajjah Governorates.

UNICEF- Education Officer- Mahyoub Alomeri- confirmed that there is ongoing

coordination between UNICEF and MoE at Sana’a level to come up with suitable solutions

with practical procedures for COVID-19. And currently there is a plan for wash intervention

by providing cleaning materials for the targeted schools.

MoE- Statistics and Plan Manager- Abdulrahman Alsamawi- commented on UNICEF wash

intervention as during this critical situation with COVID-19 outbreak, if there is no water

or latrines in schools, there is no value to intervene with cleaning materials. MoE reconfirm

that the priority is for the actual support to enable students to receive the missing classes,

cover the gap and conduct the final exams for the school year 19/20.

NFDHR- Education Project Manager- Ahlam Ahmed- thanked MoE representatives for

sharing hints of the MoE plan to response to COVID-19, and highlighted that how to equally

reach to each male and female students on their houses while this current economic crisis

Yemen faces as many families cannot provide TVs or mobiles especially those in rural areas

who suffers from the absence of basic services (electricity power, internet connections,…).

There is a need to apply Equal Access concept to all female and male students.

MoE- Coordination Unit Manager- Waleed Al-Hashemi- ensured that MoE will target large

category of students by recordings of educational materials that broadcast by satellite

channels, as well as giving the permissions to copy those records for later following or

follow them on the mobile, trying all available methods will be used, whether through

television broadcasts or the Internet. And this needs real cooperation between MoE and

education partners.

SCAMCHA Hajjah Deputy Manager- Mr. Mohd Alqoshem- proposed if the distance/online

education applied, asked what is MoE plan for students feedback as two ways interaction.

WaR Child- Education Program Manager- Moneer Alhomaidi- ensured that WaR Child

prepared a proposal to distribute recreational kits that includes games for children and

study materials that helps educating students. Of course root solutions needed, but not

applicable for Yemen circumstances.

MoE- Coordination Unit Manager- Waleed Al-Hashemi- replied that during this period of

COVID-19 pandemic, MoE priority is to enable students to receive the lessons they missed

and to enable them to conduct final exams 19/20. Recreational kits are not desirable at this

time and if WaR child has any other intervention should it share it with MoE first.

NRC- Education Project Manager- Arwa Alansi- thanked the participation of MoE, EO, and

SCAMCHA at Hajjah governorate level and as she appreciated the precautionary measures

taken by MOE to preserve its’ students, she notified that for Education in Emergencies

response and utilize the chance that students are not reporting to schools these days which

allow partners to implement the regular activities such as additional TLS in schools and

schools rehabilitations including wash and prepare the schools very well for upcoming

school year. She requested MoE to facilitate such projects in emergencies. In addition

wished from MoE to play an essential role to fasten signing the pending sub-agreements in

SCAMCHA-Sana’a to enable the partners to response and prepare the schools for the new

school year 2020/2021.

I am For My County- Executive Manager- Shawqia Alabsi- attracted all to concentrate on

reality as in ground and apply what is applicable for Yemen case which suffers from many

crises and war which caused sociological impact on children and students. Closing the

schools caused Leakage of students for workers to help in their families’ income. She

proposed to prepare schools with needed Sterilizers and receive students in schools to fill

the study gaps and conduct the exams. That is for the first three class levels for two weeks,

then receive other levels for the next two weeks. By this we would be able to response for

education in emergencies and ensure the continuity of education process.

Yemen Cluster Coordinator- Rania Zakiha- thanked Shawqia Alabsi for her suggestion and

agreed with her that schools are the best place to educate students without crowdedness

and make schools ready with required cleaning and sterilizer’s materials. However; MoE

already decided and took precautionary measures and closed the schools to preserve

students from COVID-19 outbreak. In this case, MoE usage of different available ways to

reach to most of the students is more appropriate at this time. So that can coincides with

the preparation of a strategy for how to reach the rest of the students that we cannot reach

them now. Those unreachable students not exceed between 20 to 30%. It is responsibility

of all to cooperate with MoE and provide them with practical ideas to enable them to

deliver the educational material to the students under this challenge of facing COVID-19.

Hajjah EO Manager- Ali Alqutaib- emphasized that the majority of students in Hajjah

governorate own mobile phones as observed in several field visits, this is the case in the

rest of other governorates. So mobiles can be used to deliver educational material, but the

problem is awareness of the usage and activation of the family’s role in instructing their

children to follow up on that educational material. Besides teachers’ awareness of the

importance of providing study materials in different means. Finally, he hoped to produce

practical outputs from this meeting.

MoE- Statistics and Plan Manager- Abdulrahman Alsamawi- also commented on

Shawqia’s proposal that it’s agreed that schools have the best environment for students to

receive the education concepts. But that does not prevent the creation of different

alternatives through TV channels or Internet to fill the study gaps. This may not be 100%

successful but at least a no of students will be benefited with these means. And we should

catch up these kind of technologies that followed by most of countries.

MoE- Coordination Unit Manager- Waleed Al Hashemi- concluded with that MoE

welcomes any urgent intervention to response to COVID-19 and any partner has kind of

intervention should propose it to MOE and all needed support will be given for education

in emergencies.

The meeting ended after 1:45 hrs of Extensive and Productive Discussions.

Note: All Action Points are summarized in the right column of this meeting minutes .

Noted and written by Education Sub-National Cluster- Hudaydah Hub.