As soon as summer vacation approaches, parents' concern about their children starts to augment as fathers prepare for such vacations in different ways.

However, most parents complain that there are no proper places where their children can spend their free times.

Some fathers, especially those employed in private or public sectors, will have their annual leave during summer vacation as they can find time to sit with their children after being busy for quite a long period of time. They prepare a program for the whole family during that period.

The program includes visits to some coastal cities like Aden, Taiz, Al-Mukala or Hodeidah. These visits are made in recognition of their children's achievement and excellence.

On contrary, rich people's summer program will include tourist visits to foreign countries.

Poor children's vacation

UNICEF estimates that over 10 percent of the Yemeni workforce is made  of children, mainly because of poverty. Most working children belong to rural areas.

This number of working children doubles or triples during summer vacation as more children join the labor market. Most children work as street vendors selling everything starting with tissues, water, beverages, cassettes, CDs and ending with clothes and electrical goods.

Some parents will send their children to acquaintances who have, for examples, shops, groceries, bakeries, etc. where they can learn a skill that will benefit them in the future. 

Poor fathers find summer vacation a chance for their children to help them provide more money for supporting their own families, especially when fathers salary cannot cover for the family needs.

As summer vacation approaches, poor families' children leave their countryside and head to the nearby cities to work as street vendors, waiters, porters, etc. to help feed their families behind. 

Computer and language classes

Middle class parents will seize the summer vacation for sending their children to institutes teaching them computer applications and languages, particularly English. 

However, the majority of children find nothing to do during their summer vacations as they have no choice but go to the streets where they can learn bad habits and annoy by passers.

Official efforts

Officials at Ministries of Education, Youth and Sports started to feel the risks behind the summer vacation and announce programs for summer vacation; e.g. launching summer camps and summer centers where children and students can learn new things as well as computer skills.

The risky consequences of not busying students and children with beneficial programs for summer seasons pushed President Saleh to call all managers of education, youth and sport offices nationwide for a meeting last week.

Saleh reviewed with the attendants the different activities that will be launched during the summer vacations and stressed that these offices should prepare students and youth at physical, intellectual and spiritual levels.

He also stressed the importance of collaborating the efforts where the roles of families and educations centers meet.

Rural areas case

In rural areas, the case is totally different as parents wait impatiently for the advent of summer vacation when their sons and daughters can help parents in farming and herding.

"We wait impatiently for the advent of summer vacation as children can be of a great help to us. They can help in farming, irrigating crops or herding cattle," said the middle aged Saleh Obeed, a father of five. 

What fathers say

Mohammed Saleh, 40, from Amran province, points out that summer vacation is a source of concern for most families as parents, especially mothers, keep alert and observant of what their children do, where they go, and with whom.

Saleh went on to say that he busied his children's vacation by registering them in computer and languages institutes.

"It is better to make them study computer and languages, rather than send them to streets or stay idle at homes," said Saleh. "When they are kept without anything to do, they will create problems for you."

Ali Qasim Moqbil, from Ibb city, does agree with Saleh and hints that his children used to create problems for him, especially when they play in the streets the whole day.

"Very often, neighbors come complaining that my children beat their children. However, I managed to get rid of this headache by sending them to institutes of computer and languages to study," said Moqbil.

Moqbil continued that he sends his daughters to summer centers where they can be taught Noble Quran, Sunnah, etc. He called on parents to register their sons and daughters in such centers because they are of prime benefit to them.

For problems, Moqbil stresses that they are fewer now, because his children have no time to go to streets as they have to study at the institutes and to revise what they studied later.

During Friday Sermons, most preachers called on parents to hasten registering their sons and daughters in summer centers to study Noble Quran and Hadith. They also called for having and supporting more centers as the existing centers could not cover for the needs of increasing numbers of children.  

Khalid bin Al-Walid School headmaster Abdullah Mohammed Thabet mentioned that summer vacation could be risky for children in case parents do not prepare beneficial programs for their children to spend their leisure time.