SANA’A — The Italian language department at the University of Sana’a hasn’t offered upper-level classes since early 2011.

Although students in the Spanish and Turkish departments have resumed their studies, the Italian language students have yet to resume. Their foreign professors have not returned to the country.

Only first- and second-year students currently attend classes. Their instructors are Yemenis who recently graduated. Third- and fourth-year students remain in limbo. Their foreign professors left Yemen after receiving notices from their governments to leave the country due to insecurity.

Sahar Al-Hamadi, a third-year student said, “We have staged many protests to lobby the university to provide us with professors so we can resume our classes.”

“We are going to forget all that we have been taught,” Al-Hamadi said.

Othman Al-Noman, the class representative, said the student union organized a protest in early May to petition the university and the Ministry of Higher Education to seek a solution.

Othman said professors left Yemen after the March 18, 2011 protest known as “Dignity Friday.”

Buthina Al-Moghles, a third-year Italian student, said, “We met with the deputy Italian ambassador, and we suggested that the embassy provide us with professors; however, he said that the embassy is to busy to do that.

The ambassador said it would be possible for the students to visit the Italian embassy weekly to practice their language with the embassy staff. She said the university president was stalling seeking a resolution. Yasser Al-Kasimi, a teacher in the Italian Department, said there was an attempt to bring a visiting professor from Italy for three months; however, the terrorist blast in Al-Sabeen Square caused him to cancel.

Al-Kasimi said Turkish language students are studying in the Turkish School headquarters. The Turkish embassy helped coordinate the arrangement.

Dr. Ahmed Al-Mansouri, the deputy dean of the language department, said the College of Languages has tried to solve the issue, but the task of finding replacement Italian professors is difficult. He said the dean of the college has announced vacancies for Italian language professors but so far no one has applied.