The organization Improve Your Society (IYSO) organized two community accountability sessions in the districts of Al-Mudhaffar and Al-Qahira in Taiz city, attended by the directors of the local education offices, Mr. Adel Al-Alimi and Mr. Mahmoud Abdulqader, along with citizens and civil society activists.

During the sessions, the results of the monitoring team’s report on the state of education in the two districts were presented. The report highlighted several challenges, including deteriorating infrastructure and overcrowded classrooms, shortages of textbooks, teacher shortages due to unpaid salaries and migration of qualified staff, weak parental follow-up, and the spread of cheating practices that undermine educational values.

The report also included a set of preliminary recommendations, such as:

• Strengthening the role of parent–teacher councils and granting them real oversight powers.
• Reducing classroom overcrowding by expanding or adding new classrooms, updating school furniture, improving lighting, and providing alternative energy sources.
• Ensuring fair and timely distribution of textbooks to all schools at the start of the academic year, and preventing their sale in markets.
• Providing teaching aids, science laboratories, and extracurricular activities to enhance the learning environment and motivate students.
• Implementing training programs for teachers and school administrations on modern teaching methods, classroom management, and effective educational leadership.
• Conducting awareness campaigns for students and parents about the risks of cheating and the importance of academic integrity, alongside stronger exam monitoring mechanisms.

These sessions are part of the “Accountability in Education” project implemented by IYSO in Taiz city in partnership with the National Endowment for Democracy, aiming to strengthen the role of civil society in monitoring and improving the quality of educational services.