Why don’t they bring that exchange student in there and have him (or her) see what can be worked out between them. I bet they’ll be gabbing pretty well, even if in atrocious English and Japanese, within a couple of months.
Was wondering the same thing myself. Conversational Japanese for now.
That sounds like a good solution to me but the school would be admitting (and publicizing) their incompetence, plus the Japanese kid might correctly demand to be paid.
An added benefit might be that the kids could learn all the Japanese swear words.