This topic is open to discuss the best plan to educate Yemenis in the west.

Reason: Having more highly educated Yemenis will benefit me, my family, the Yemeni community, and Yemenis back home in Yemen

Problems
1-Many Yemeni Parents have a poor education background with some that can not even read and write in Arabic or English
2- Educated Yemenis face a lot of prejudice in the job market and many of them end up working in stores or private businesses even with their education credentials
3- Parents value work that is sure to generates money over education that might become useless paper on the wall
4- Yemenis have to adapt to different values in the west without losing their own culture and religion in the melting pot

I am sure there are more problems that I can't think of at the moment and you can help by adding your input

Some people suggest the following:-
1- Make enough money to build a nice house in Yemen and start a small successful business and move with your family to Yemen to avoid all these difficult issues

2- Others suggest staying in America and building Masjids, Islamic schools, and community programs that will support our people through these difficult issues.

3- Another group suggests a combination of the above to get the best of both worlds.

I am with the third group, but there is no clear formula to achieve that plan.
I am not clear on a few points
A- The best time to send the kids to Yemen
B- The best educational curriculum to facilitate getting a stronger higher education in the West.
C- How do they avoid the fate of many educated Yemenis working in grocery stores?

Your response is highly appreciated to help improve the conditions of Yemenis in our community.

Thank you

Salam yemenreform.

It is good to read from you again. Allow me to disagree on your second point:



Although, this might be true to an extent, a lot of people (including me and you) managed to get good jobs in the West. Most YSAA members were educated in the West and some of them work now in pretty good jobs. I know many people who graduated from university, and had only the OPT (optional practical training), and they were given jobs even though it is not in their employer's best interest to offer them a temporary job and then sponsor them for a H1B visa in the US, PR in Canada or whatever the equivalent is in other countries. I think those educated and working in grocery stores should broaden their horizons a bit, look harder and realize that nothing in life that is worth having comes easy.

As for kids and education, I am of the opinion that if the parents speak Arabic to them at home, teach them Islam and Arabic in a school or a mosque and keep a close eye on them, they'd be just as good in the West if not better.

Thanks for your responce Osama
I am not sure it is that easy

Many Yemenis don't finish high school, college, or any higher education
The people you mentioned are the lucky few
I hope there are more of them every year, but I think it takes planning from the family early and support from the community of educated prefessionals like you

check some of the responses at this page

http://al-yemen.org/vb/showthread.php?t=302449