In Saudi Arabia, Islam has a strong influence on society and culture, and Arabic has prioritized over English in language education. Thus, when English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is promoted in Saudi public schools, Saudi cultural and religious traditions are balanced with the Ministry of Education’s policy, which emphasizes the practical value of English as a tool for communication, science, and technology. Accordingly, cultural taboos for Muslims have been excluded from EFL classrooms in Saudi Arabia. Recently, the Saudi government introduced English education at a younger age, and first graders at primary schools started learning English in 2021. This indicates that the government attaches great importance to developing students’ English language competency from early childhood. In Saudi Arabia, EFL textbooks from international publishers have been edited to produce Saudi editions, which serve as the de facto curriculum. This study therefore focused on these textbooks, comparing an edition of the EFL textbook “We Can!” edited for Saudi Arabia and adopted throughout the country in 2021 with its international counterpart. Students from the first to the fourth grades, who started learning English this year, used these same textbooks. The Saudi edition deleted cultural events from English-speaking countries, such as Christmas and Halloween, and replaced the foreign and international culture depicted in the international edition with the Saudi local culture and context. Such amended editions tend to result in patchwork texts without authentic context, making it difficult for Saudi students to develop the intercultural awareness that is essential for language learning. It may be necessary for those familiar with the cultural elements of Islam, Saudi Arabia, Western countries, and other parts of the world to write original EFL textbooks which reflect the Saudi context. Education in Saudi Arabia, where Islam is the main pillar of the nation, may look far different from that in Japan; however, both countries share common challenges in EFL, such as a wide linguistic distance between their native languages and English, lack of opportunities to use English outside of class, and a low level of proficiency in English among the general population. Today, Saudi Arabia is rapidly transforming its image from that of a closed nation to a country that enjoys entertainment from abroad and welcomes the latest global trends. These ongoing social reforms may bring about the possibility of including the culture of English-speaking and foreign countries in Saudi EFL at primary level. Japanese approaches to editing textbooks, in which many teachers participate, may be helpful when it comes to addressing these issues in the current EFL textbooks of Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Saudi EFL practices, from a country which has taken the lead in introducing English classes as early as the first grade, may benefit Japanese EFL teachers in primary schools. This study does no more than introduce the current status of EFL in Saudi primary schools based on limited information. It will take more time to confirm the whole picture, considering that the overarching framework of the curriculum based on the newly-adopted textbook has yet to be released. Exploration of the possibilities for bilateral cooperation in this field remains a subject for future study.

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With the acceleration of globalization and the growth of the knowledge-based economy, international education policies have been promoted by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan since 2011. In 2020, the Ministry released its “White Paper 2.0 on International Education for Primary and Secondary Schools” to launch a new reform of international education. This article analyzes three features of the new policy: clarifying the nature of the target “global citizen,” promoting international education under 12-Year Basic Education, and integrating administration and schools to develop various platforms for more prosperous international exchange. The challenges for developing international education for the future in the social context of Taiwan are also discussed.

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COVID-19 has had a great impact on university students throughout Japan. Kitami Institute of Technology (KIT), the northernmost among 86 national universities, has been no exception. The International Center at KIT, which is in charge of issues related to international students, has dealt with many problems caused by the pandemic which they have experienced, especially financial hardships. Amidst the ongoing public health situation and its lingering effects, the International Center and its Director conducted a comprehensive survey on the life of international students during COVID-19, in order to enact effective countermeasures in this and future pandemics. In this survey, we focused primarily on the economic situations and mental states of international students. We specifically analyzed how students who were supporting themselves had been affected by this pandemic, something on which preceding studies had rarely reported. The online survey was sent to 90 international students at KIT and was conducted from November 4 - 18, 2021. The survey included 27 questions, and 55 students responded. To the question “Why did you choose this university?”, 11 responded, “Because the tuition is inexpensive;” 9 responded, “Because the prices of commodities in Kitami are cheap;” and 6 responded, “Because I could get a scholarship.” 21 out of the 55 respondents picked one of those 3 answers, showing that they took economic factors into consideration when choosing KIT. As for the question of “How has your income changed?”, 33 out of the 55 answeredthat it had “fallen”, while 21 answered that it was “the same as before”. 21 of the 33 respondents who chose the former answer were students who did not receive any scholarship; in particular, undergraduate students without a scholarship faced a fall in income. 83% of respondents chose either “the reduction or suspension of remittances” or “dismissal or reduction of time in a part-time job” as a reason for their fall in income. 15 students whose income had fallen responded that “Because of financial hardships, my academic results were inadequate”. To the question “How has your mental health been affected?”, 22 out of 55 answered, “I feel lonely”, while 16 answered, “I am dissatisfied with my daily life”. To the question “What do you hope for from this university?” 31 responded with “An increase in the scholarship”, while 24 responded with “Provision of food or daily necessities”. As a result of this survey, the International Center decided to give donated funds directly to students who are in need. We also plan to provide them with food and daily necessities. This survey showed that students who did not receive any scholarship and saw their remittances fall had been experiencing economic hardships which perhaps had a negative effect on their academic results. This tendency is particularly true for undergraduate students who, unlike graduate students, are not fully entitled to apply for tuition fee waivers. It is thus crucial for a local university like KIT to support such international students who face financial hardships during the pandemic.

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