War and political instability over the past nine years have crippled Yemen's school system. Millions of children have been left without access to basic education. The United Nations says the illiteracy rate has reached 70 percent.

Taiz is the third largest city in Yemen. 13-year-old Mohammed Fuad used to attend the Ibrahim Aqeel School here. That was before the Saudi-led coalition reduced the building to rubble. But that hasn't stopped him from going to school.

MOHAMMED FUAD Student "The school where I studied was destroyed because of the war. It's not possible to study there anymore. There are no windows and doors, the sun gets in, the cold, the dust, the wind – the floor is made of dirt. We are scared the ceiling will fall on top of us. It's also far away from us, it's not possible to study inside."

Mohammed said that there are few classes for the large number of students. That's forced the school to divide students into morning and evening shifts. It's not just his school – many others lack basic equipment and resources. There is overcrowding, teacher shortages, and children living in conflict-affected areas have a long way to walk to school.

PETER HAWKINS UNICEF in Yemen "The schools themselves, have been badly affected by the conflict. They've been degraded, they've been damaged. A lot of them have no access or exit points that are attractive to children. So actually, going to school is not an attractive proposition for many of the children. I remember in Sada'a, I went to one school, It was right out in, in the countryside. I stopped at that school. It was three floors completely damaged. The floors were covered in water, the walls were open, and yet the children were sitting there learning and learning well."

Over the past nine years, thousands of children have been killed or wounded. Schools and educational facilities have been destroyed, and millions have been deprived of education. According to the latest reports from UNESCO, the illiteracy rate has reached 70 percent.

ABDUL WASAI AL FATKI Human Rights Activist "Education in Yemen has suffered severe and significant damages due to the war. Approximately 6,858 schools have ceased to provide educational services due to partial or total destruction."