IMPACT-se has released its 2022 annual update on Saudi textbooks, depicting an overall trend of improvement following major reforms since 2020. Whereas only a decade ago, focus was put on encouraging students to prepare for jihad and martyrdom, the majority of references to violent jihad justifying and praising violence and murder on behalf of the Prophet Muhammad have now been removed from the textbooks. And while some problematic content such as negative depictions of Jews, Zionism and Christians remain or have even been made worse, others, particularly instances of the kind of antisemitism based on modern European tropes, have largely been removed.
Review of Changes and Remaining Problematic Content in Saudi Textbooks 2021–22
April 4, 2021
Recommended Research
REGIONS
IMPACT-se’s latest report offers an in-depth analysis of German textbooks, examining their presentation of Jews and Jewish life, the Holocaust and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The report finds that Jewish history and contemporary Jewish life are presented as an integral
IMPACT-se has just published the first in-depth analysis of Syria’s school curriculum since the al-Sharaa administration came to power. The landmark report examines 130 textbooks for Grades 1–12, revealing how the new Syria is reshaping education for the next generation.
The
In an article for Taiwan insight, Tuyuq Rabay examines efforts to give Indigenous heritage a greater place in Taiwan’s schools. At one elementary school, students learn about ancestral history, language, and cultural traditions through forest walks, storytelling, and activities
As Houthi violence continues to make headlines, its roots can be seen by analyzing Houthi educational materials from a decade ago.
In mathematics materials from 2015–2019 documented by IMPACT-se, children learn numbers by counting images bearing the Houthi slogan, which includes
Last week, IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff addressed parliamentarians and policymakers at the House of Lords in London and the French Senate in Paris as part of a delegation of experts on countering extremism, facilitated by @TrendsRA_
Marcus highlighted the essential role of
In a recent article for @NRO, Perpperdine Univeristy (@pepperdine) President Jim Gash and Jeremy Tate, founder of the @CLT_Exam challenge the idea that schools should teach students how to think, rather than what to think.
They argue that education is never entirely neutral:
We are pleased to share that IMPACT-se participated in the 5th Paris Conference on Education (PCE2026), hosted by the The International Academic Forum (@iafor) at Sorbonne University.
Bringing together scholars, educators and policymakers from around the world, the conference
In a recent interview with @dailystarnews, Shireen Huq, a prominent women’s rights activist in Bangladesh, raises important questions about gender and inclusion in education—from the stereotypes embedded in what girls and boys are taught, to body shaming in textbooks and the role



