English in Saudi Arabia: Status and Challenges in The Light of Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s Vision 2030

Abstract

It is essential that educational institutions prepare students for the workforce especially when they are teaching English. In most Saudi Universities English Departments have been established in the Faculties of Arts, Languages, Education and Translation. However, recognition of the need for English in the Saudi educational system has not always been matched by acceptable educational outcomes. This is indicated by the inadequate number of well-trained and highly qualified teachers of English. Lack of recognition has hindered progress towards reaching the Kingdom Vision of 2030 that focuses on empowering citizens through reshaping the educational system and turning learners into skillful, educated and independent individuals. Therefore, this study examines the extent to which the KSA Vision 2030, in terms of teaching English as a foreign language in universities, is being implemented. A questionnaire was given to first year students at the Northern Border University, in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire had two main sections, the first contained six general questions and the second section had 39 items covering very specific elements such as, Content & Teaching Methods, Evaluation & Assignments and Training & Professional Development. Analysing the data from the questionnaire was done using SPSS software.