Author Archives: Ruth Richards

DYFODOL CALLS FOR PROTECTION OF WELSH MEDIUM GCSE SUBJECTS

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Dyfodol i’r Iaith is calling on the Welsh Government to insist that Wales’s examination standards body, Qualifications Wales, ensures that all subjects available to study in English in Wales’s schools are also available in Welsh.

Dyfodol i’r Iaith is surprised that Qualifications Wales, who are sponsored by the Welsh Government and who are answerable to the Welsh Assembly, have not ensured that Psychology is available through the medium of Welsh.

Eifion Lloyd Jones said:

“Consideration of the Welsh language is central to Qualifications Wales’s duties. They should, knowing that Wales’s main examinations body (WJEC) are eliminating Psychology as a subject, ensure that this subject is offered by another provider.”

“If this is not done urgently, then Psychology will join Economics as a subject which is offered in Wales through the medium of English only in Wales next year.”

Eifion Lloyd Jones added, “With Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol having appointed a number of new lecturers to teach these subjects over the past few years, it is utterly ridiculous that Qualifications Wales are now ensuring that there will be students to study them.”

 

“This is a damaging situation for the development of the Welsh language in secondary and higher education. We will be pressing on the Government to insist that Qualifications Wales treats the Welsh language at least as favourably as English, and we will also be appealing to the WJEC to reinstate the subjects they are about to cease to provide.”

 

DYFODOL CALLS FOR THE PLANNING INSPECTOR’S ADVICE TO WEAKEN LANGUAGE CLAUSE TO BE OVERRULED

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Dyfodol i’r Iaith have reacted fiercely to the advice issued by the Planning Inspector on behalf of the Welsh Government to weaken a Welsh language clause within Gwynedd and Anglesey’s Local Development Plan.

Heini Gruffudd, Dyfodol’s Chair said:

“This advice is irresponsible and damaging to the Welsh language, particularly in the context of the Welsh Language Strategy and its stated aim of strengthening Welsh as a community language.”

“While the Government has set an ambitious target of creating a million Welsh speakers by 2050 and wishes to see the language as a living medium in our communities, the Planning Director’s advice is outrageous. The terms for judging the language impact of new housing plans should not remain separate.”

“If the Welsh Government is serious about achieving their aims in relation to the language, then it also needs to acknowledge the key role of the planning system as it prepares its long term strategy which would allow the Welsh language to thrive.”

Dyfodol i’r Iaith calls upon the Prime Minister and the Minister responsible for the Welsh language to:

–        Overturn the Planning Inspector’s advice

–        Ensure that the Welsh language is an essential factor in all planning applications and Local Development Plans [as specified within the Planning Measure of 2015]

–        Establish a separate Planning Inspectorate for Wales as soon as possible,

DYFODOL CALLS FOR AN URGENT INQUIRY INTO EDUCATION AUTHORITIES’ COMMITMENT TO DEVELOPING WELSH MEDIUM SCHOOLS

Reply

Dyfodol i’r Iaith have called upon the Welsh Minister to conduct an urgent inquiry into the lack of commitment show by some local authorities to improve and develop Welsh schools within their counties. This call follows a reply received from the Education Secretary’s Office in response to Dyfodol’s enquiry regarding the allocation of 21st Century Schools funding for Welsh schools by local authority area.

According to the Education Secretary’s Office, 6 counties – Blaenau Gwent, Flint, Merthyr Tudful, Monmouth, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Wrexham, have all chosen to allocate 5% or less the funding to Welsh medium schools.

In total, these counties spent £286,750,000.00 – more than a quarter of a billion pounds – on investing in schools, but only £2,726,636 on Welsh schools. Rhondda Cynon Taf spent £159,291,853 on English schools and only £798,147 on Welsh schools.

Blaenau Gwent, Flint a Merthyr Tudful spent nothing on Welsh schools, but £103,450,000 on English schools.

Since the authorities themselves are responsible for allocating the priorities for this expenditure, it is highly significant that these 6 authorities spent little or none of the funding on Welsh schools.

Heini Gruffudd, Dyfodol’s Chair said:

“These figures are a sorry reflection of the lack of commitment that exists in some areas towards the growth of the Welsh language. As an organisation we have from the start been critical of the Welsh Language Education Schemes; in terms of individual schemes and the political will to lead on their development.

With the Welsh Language Strategy aiming to create a million Welsh speakers by 2050, it is agreed that this aim cannot be achieved without a robust commitment to develop Welsh medium education. The current situation means that the whole work is under threat from the start.

We call on the Minister to get to grips with the situation at once, and conduct a full and detailed inquiry into these authorities’ failure to contribute to the Government’s strategic vision.

 

Further Information:

Throughout Wales £1,497,726,000 was spent on schools.

£441,405,602 (29.5%) was spent on Welsh schools

Figures for the six counties:

Blaenau Gwent                Expenditure: £20,500,000             On Welsh schools: £0 = 0%

Flint                                     Expenditure: £64,200,000  On Welsh schools: £0 = 0%

Merthyr Tudful                  Expenditure: £19,000,000  On Welsh schools: £0 = 0%

Monmouth                         Expenditure: £93,400,00   On Welsh schools:£1,000,000 = 1%

Rhondda Cynon Taf         Expenditure: £160,000,000  On Welsh schools: £708,147 = 0.5%

Wrexham                           Expenditure: £22,300,000 On Welsh schools: : £1,018,489 = 5%