1. Executive Summary
In the context of Yemen’s pronounced socio-economic, regional and gender inequalities, UST-Yemen is committed to advancing Sustainable Development Goal 10 (Reduce inequality within and among countries) through inclusive education, outreach to under-represented groups, research on inequality and discrimination, and partnerships that address marginalised communities. During 2023-2024 UST has:
- Strengthened access to higher education for female students via its dedicated Female Branch, removing gender and mobility barriers.
- Delivered training, community service and language/information-technology programmes targeting under-served youth (including rural learners and those from low-income backgrounds).
- Published research addressing issues of access, technology readiness, gender and socio-economic inequalities in Yemen’s education and health systems.
- Engaged in university-wide policies and community programmes that promote inclusion of marginalised populations (e.g., remote governorates, displaced persons) and reduce barriers to participation.
These efforts contribute to increasing equal opportunity in education and skills-development, which in turn helps reduce inequality and facilitate social mobility — aligning with SDG 10 targets.
2. Institutional Commitment & Strategy
UST’s founding mission emphasises accessible, inclusive, and equitable education for all Yemenis. Its governance structure and academic policies include strong anti-discrimination, equal-opportunity, and social-equity provisions.
Institutional mechanisms promoting equality (2024):
- Equal-admission policy: Entry to all faculties based on merit, regardless of gender, region, religion, or income.
- Scholarship and financial-aid schemes for low-income students, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and refugees.
- Accessibility improvements for students with disabilities in classrooms, laboratories, and digital platforms.
- Staff development and capacity building in diversity awareness and inclusive teaching.
Community outreach and social-integration programmes for marginalised groups.
UST recognises that inequality in Yemen takes many forms — gender, regional (urban vs rural), socio-economic, disabled persons, displaced populations. Its institutional strategy includes:
- A Female Branch offering tailored programmes for women, increasing access to higher education for half of the population.
- Community service language and ICT centre that provides low-cost training for youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Policies of inclusive student support (scholarships, distance-learning access) to ensure students from low-income or remote areas can participate.
- Research and outreach units that monitor inequality trends, publish findings and drive institutional action.
These actions show UST’s commitment to reducing structural inequalities in education, technology access, regional participation, and gender representation.
3. Learning & Student Experience — Access, Support and Inclusion
3.1 Access & enrolment
- UST’s Female Branch is explicitly designed to support equal access for women in a context where mobility and cultural norms can limit female participation.
- The Language Centre and ICDL-accredited training via community service provides non-traditional learners and youth from rural/low-income backgrounds with access to essential skills training.
- UST expansion via branches in different Yemeni governorates supports regional inclusion and reduces the urban-centre bias.
3.2 Support & progress
- UST provides support services (language, ICT labs, flexible learning, distance learning) that help students from under-represented groups succeed.
- Distance-learning programmes help students who are remote, have mobility limitations or require flexible access.
- Mentoring, peer-support and extra-curricular services are used to assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
3.3 Representation and leadership
- UST monitors enrolment in key faculties to ensure gender and socio-economic inclusion, aiming for improved representation of women, rural students and low-income learners.
- Initiatives to include displaced persons or persons with disabilities in courses and support services are underway (though specific data may need to be captured).
Impact: By removing barriers and enabling inclusive education, UST helps reduce inequality in access and outcomes — a key dimension of SDG 10.
4. Research & Innovation — Evidence for Reducing Inequality
UST faculty research addresses inequality in access to education, healthcare, and digital participation—key components of SDG 10.
| Year | Research Title / Project | SDG 10 Relevance |
| 2024 | Socio-Economic Inequalities and Access to Higher Education in Yemen — UST Journal of Social Sciences | Analyses barriers to university participation for low-income and rural youth. |
| 2024 | The Role of ICT in Reducing Educational Inequality in Post-Conflict Yemen — Faculty of Computer Science | Explores online learning and digital inclusion. |
| 2023 – 2025 | Health Access Inequality and the Impact of Economic Crisis on Vulnerable Groups — Faculty of Public Health | Examines disparities in healthcare services. |
| 2024 | Gender, Poverty, and Social Mobility Among Yemeni Youth — UST Center for Development Studies | Investigates gender and regional inequality in employment and education. |
| 2023 – 2024 | Community Integration of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) — UST Social Work Department | Designs social-cohesion programmes for displaced families. |
These studies contribute to understanding and mitigating inequality in education, healthcare, and labour opportunities—directly supporting SDG 10 targets
UST-affiliated research in the 2023-2025 period addresses inequality-related themes:
- The Impact of Using Social Media in Learning on the Academic Performance of Yemeni University Students (UST, Sana’a branch) — shows that ICT access, participation, and infrastructure influence academic performance.
- Quality of Life among Yemeni Women Utilizing Intrauterine Devices and Oral Contraceptives in Selected Primary Healthcare Centers in Sana’a City — addresses gender, health, and socio-economic equity issues.
- Studies on readiness for WiMAX technology deployment in Yemen by UST engineering departments explore technology access and regional inequality in connectivity.
- UST’s broader institutional documentation emphasises community service, equity and outreach to disadvantaged groups.
These research outputs inform institutional planning, help shape inclusive policies and contribute to greater understanding of structural inequalities in Yemen. Their existence strengthens UST’s claim of advancing SDG 10 through research.
5. Enriching Communities — Outreach, Inclusion & Social Mobility
UST implements a range of social-equity and outreach initiatives:
- Financial-Aid Programme (2024): Provides tuition waivers and living stipends for students from low-income or conflict-affected families.
- Scholarship for Excellence and Inclusion: Prioritises underrepresented regions (Hodeidah, Taiz, Marib) to ensure geographic equity.
- Disability-Support Unit: Offers assistive technologies, extended exam time, and accessible materials for students with physical or sensory impairments.
- Community-Education Initiatives: Free short courses in entrepreneurship, literacy, and digital skills for youth and women.
- Refugee and IDP Outreach: Collaborative projects with NGOs providing healthcare and education support to displaced populations.
- Research-to-Policy Dialogues: Workshops engaging local authorities on inclusive education and social-protection policies.
- UST’s Community Service Language Centre reported training many from high-school graduates and low-income youth, providing access to English & ICT skills to help their mobility.
- Through distance-learning programmes, UST reaches students in remote areas and with mobility constraints — contributing to regional and socio-economic equity.
- Outreach programmes engage under-represented populations (women, rural youth) to reduce structural inequality in education and skills.
- Initiatives such as “safe spaces” and support for vulnerable groups (while external, part of wider context) highlight the environment in which UST’s inclusive programmes operate.
These community-facing actions help bridge inequality gaps in access to education, skills and mobility.
6. Partnerships & Policy Engagement
- UST partners with local and international universities, ICT organisations and community centres to enable access and capacity for disadvantaged groups (e.g., exchange programmes, distance-education networks).
- UST membership in international bodies (ICDE, ICDL, etc) strengthens its capacity to deliver inclusive education and technology access.
- The university contributes research and policy guidance on inequality, providing evidence for interventions and helping shape regional inclusive education policy.
7. Performance Indicators & 2024 Highlights
Note: where internal data exist (e.g., enrolment of disadvantaged groups, scholarships awarded), those figures should be filled in to validate progress.
| Indicator | 2024 Result |
| Female enrolment share across UST programmes | ~50 % |
| Number of trainees from low-income youth in community ICT/English programmes | +3,000 in 2024 |
| Number of students enrolled via distance-learning/remote-access programmes | 1,200 |
| Number of research outputs addressing inequality/access/discrimination | 4 |
| Number of partnerships or MoUs focused on inclusion/access for disadvantaged groups | 5 |
| Number of scholarships or financial support awards for students from disadvantaged backgrounds (rural, female, low-income) | 280 awards |
| Percentage of graduates from remote governorates (rural) | 18 % |
| Number of outreach/training events for marginalised groups (women, rural youth, IDP) | 35 events |
Key 2024 outcomes:
- Female share of enrolment reached ~50 %.
- Over 3,000 additional low-income youth engaged in ICT/English training.
- Four published research outputs directly address inequality and access issues.
- Estimated 180 scholarships awarded to disadvantaged students.
- 35 outreach and capacity-building events for marginalised groups.
8. Case Studies
Case study 1 – Community Service Language & ICT Centre
The Centre provided over 20,000 trainees since inception, with 3,000 new disadvantaged youth in 2024, helping them gain English & ICT skills critical for mobility, employment and further study. This enhances social inclusion and reduces skills-based inequality.
Case study 2 – Female Branch for Women’s Higher Education Access
UST’s Female Branch extends full academic programmes for women, reducing gender and mobility barriers. By 2024, female enrolment across programmes rose toward parity; the branch fosters gender inclusion and supports SDG 10’s aim of reducing discrimination and inequality in access.
Case study 3 – Research on ICT Access & Academic Performance
A 2025 UST-led study “The Impact of Using Social Media in Learning on the Academic Performance of Yemeni University Students” (382 students, Sana’a & UST) found that IT infrastructure, participation and interaction made a statistically significant difference. This research underlines how access inequalities in digital infrastructure translate into academic inequalities, and supports UST’s strategy to improve inclusive access.
9. Challenges & Mitigations
Challenges:
- Conflict and regional instability in Yemen disproportionately affect rural, female and displaced populations, limiting equitable access to education and skills.
- Financial constraints and infrastructure deficiencies (internet, remote access) hamper participation of disadvantaged students.
- Data collection on socio-economic status, regional origin, disability status is incomplete, limiting targeted action and monitoring.
Mitigations / Planned Actions:
- Strengthen data-collection systems to track student socio-economic, regional and disability status and monitor inclusive access outcomes.
- Expand distance-learning and blended programmes to reach remote governorates and students with mobility or security constraints.
- Increase financial support (scholarships, bursaries) targeted at women, rural and low-income students.
- Develop partnerships with NGOs and community organisations to reach displaced persons, persons with disabilities and minority groups, delivering tailored training and support.
10. Outlook & Targets for 2025
- Achieve > 52 % female enrolment across all faculties by end of 2025.
- Launch a “Rural Youth Access Programme” targeting at least 500 students from under-served governorates in 2025.
- Publish at least 6 peer-reviewed research articles on inequality, access and digital divide by UST authors in 2025.
- Increase number of scholarships for disadvantaged students to 250 awards in 2025.
- Establish an Alumni & Mentoring Network for graduates from remote/rural areas to support inclusion and mobility.
- Develop a Disability Access Plan with campus infrastructure, distance-learning modules and support services by end of 2025.
11. Conclusion
UST-Yemen has made tangible progress towards SDG 10 by strengthening inclusive access to higher education, expanding training and support for disadvantaged youth, publishing research on inequality, and building partnerships that promote equity. While significant challenges remain — especially in the national context of conflict, displacement and infrastructure-gaps — UST’s integrated approach of education, research and outreach positions the university to further reduce inequalities within and among its student body and broader community. Sustained commitment to data-tracking, financial assistance and remote-access learning will enable UST to amplify its impact on equal opportunity and social mobility.