Since approximately eight years ago, after obtaining her doctoral degree from Sana'a University in 2016, Dr. Zamzam Saleh (41 years old) has sought to join a local university or college for teaching. However, she did not expect all these years to pass without being able to secure academic employment at any of the local universities or colleges, especially since her previous efforts and attempts to be appointed were hindered due to the absence of employment opportunities since the beginning of the war that the country has been experiencing since 2014.
Lack of Vision
Dr. Saleh believes that the reality of postgraduate degree holders in Yemen is not much different from that of other jobless individuals, given the absence of official employment and the limited job opportunities controlled by the influential. She indicates that despite the apparent progress in the higher education sector compared to its situation in the past, Yemen's higher education institutions have been unable to overcome the obstacles and challenges of the job market.
According to a number of academics, the lack of vision among decision-makers is one of the primary factors contributing to the worsening of postgraduate unemployment among graduates of Yemeni and non-Yemeni universities. This is alongside the absence of supervision over both government and private universities, which have opened postgraduate programs not aligned with the principles and standards of scientific research or the demands of the job market. Additionally, certificates are being awarded to individuals who do not merit them. Further, due to the admission and graduation of large numbers of postgraduate students without considering the feasibility of absorbing these numbers, whether in the public or private sector, unemployment rates have soared, increasing the number of unemployed among holders of higher degrees.
Unemployment of Graduates
According to Hassan Mahyoub, an employee at the Office of Postgraduate Studies, in a statement to "Khuyut," twenty-five scientific centers at Sana'a University alone, dedicated to teaching graduate programs (master's and doctoral degrees), have discussed 23 doctoral theses within less than a month.
For his part, the Director General of Postgraduate Studies at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Fa'id Sallam, in Sana'a, confirmed that the university has transformed research centers into scientific centers, where master's and doctoral programs have been opened without the knowledge or approval of the Ministry of Higher Education, and without being accredited by the Higher Academic Council, except for two centers (Business Administration and Migration and Asylum).
It is worth mentioning that the outputs of postgraduate programs in public and private Yemeni universities reached 22,000 graduates holding master's and doctoral degrees since 2018 until the end of 2022. However, these statistics have not been available since the inception of postgraduate programs, according to the Director General of Postgraduate Studies at the Ministry of Higher Education in Sanaa, in his interview with "Khuyut."
Actually, in the past five years alone, the number of postgraduate degree holders from Yemeni universities has exceeded the total number of accredited employees in the whole academic sector, which stood at 13,766 according to the Civil Service Ministry's records for the year 2014. This indicates a significant increase in the unemployment rate among postgraduate graduates in recent years.
Greed-driven Investment
From his side, Dr. Nasser Al-Dahyani, the head of the Department of Administrative Sciences at the College of Education, University of Sana'a, affirmed in an interview with "Khuyut" that the profit aspect has dominated over other objectives. He stated: "Most postgraduate centers were established for one sole purpose: to gain financial profits, without considering the aspects of academic and intellectual attainment. In light of this extremely poor situation, I see it inappropriate for these individuals and graduates to be accepted for teaching positions in universities, whether public or private, due to their qualifications not meeting the academic requirements. However, the most crucial question is: Where do all these funds go?"
During the academic year 2022-2023, the number of enrollees in postgraduate programs in government universities reached 3270 students, while the number of graduates in the same year was 575. As for private universities, the number of enrollees was 1191, while the number of graduates reached 580, according to an official statistic—obtained by "Khuyut"—on the number of enrolled students and graduates for the academic year 2022-2023.
“The tuition fees for postgraduate programs at the University of Sana'a vary from one program to another, ranging from two thousand to seven thousand dollars in postgraduate centers. However, the most important thing is that there are no standardized fees across all Yemeni universities.”
High Fees
Hassan Mahyoub, an employee at the Office of Postgraduate Studies, confirms in an interview with "Khuyut" that there are substantial amounts received by the relevant authorities and entities for opening the postgraduate programs. Mahyoub says, "The fees for postgraduate programs at Sanaa University vary from one program to another, ranging from two thousand to seven thousand dollars in the postgraduate centers. However, the most important thing is that there is no standardized or unified fees for all Yemeni universities, which pushes each university to determine the fees as it wishes."
It's worth mentioning that most colleges and universities in Yemen resort to exploiting teaching assistants due to their low salaries compared to professors with higher degrees. In contrast, the private sector exploits higher degree holders by paying them hourly wages, a practice common in most private universities, despite its greediness and lack of appreciation, leading to increased unemployment among master's and doctoral degree holders, according to Al-Dahyani, who adds: "Universities' resorting to hiring bachelor's degree holders to save money comes at the expense of education quality and people's trust in its outcomes."
Additional Causes of Unemployment
Moreover, the widespread prevalence of nepotism and favoritism in appointments and recruitment, coupled with universities' inability to supply the local market with demanded specializations due to the widening gap between the courses of postgraduate programs and the requirements of the job market, are among the primary factors directly impacting the increase in unemployment rates among postgraduate graduates. According to the educational researcher at the Development and Research Center at Sana'a University, Dr. Samia Al-Ahdal, who spoke to "Khuyut," saying: "the prevalence of nepotism and the rampant corruption are two main reasons for the unemployment of higher education graduates."
Al-Ahdal added: "Some postgraduate studies centers, especially in the fields of education, curricula, educational administration, and Islamic and humanities studies, should be closed because these centers are churning out dozens of postgraduate degree holders who end up unemployed, due to the oversaturation of the job market with such specializations." Al-Ahdal continued: "At present, there should be a focus on studies in technology, artificial intelligence, programming, cybersecurity, and other demanded specializations in the job market."
Al-Ahdal concludes her conversation with "Khuyut" by stating: "It is imperative for the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to strive towards implementing academic accreditation standards across all government, private universities, and community colleges, as many postgraduate study centers currently are not subject to scientific research standards and criteria."
Similarly, Badeel Al-Asadi, a master's degree holder, affirmed in an interview with "Khuyut" what Al-Ahdal mentioned and added: "I do not understand why our qualifications are ignored while some individuals with high school or bachelor's degrees with acceptable grades are empowered to hold leadership positions in government and private institutions."
