ABSTRACT
The British presence in Yemen (PDRY) was a major support to the economy. The People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen is located at the south-west corner of the Arabian peninsula. Political independence came in 1967, and with it two profound setbacks to the economy. Since 1973 PDRY economic fortunes have improved. Rather as in the case of Yemen, the government has begun to receive substantial sums in grants and as aid from Arab, bilateral and international agencies. The birth and death rates of the PDRY national population are not known with accuracy, but commentators estimate that the overall growth rate is somewhere between 2.5 and 3.0 per cent. The present objective of PDRY development plans is to increase the significance, in value added and employment terms, of the unequivocally ‘productive’ sectors of the economy. The government has made great strides in the field of quantitative expansion of schooling, but severe inadequacies exist in standards of education.
