The Welsh Government has appointed Professor Graham Donaldson to conduct a thorough review of the National Curriculum in Wales. In its response Dyfodol i’r Iaith has called for every child and young person in Wales to have a better opportunity to be bilingual and for a transformation in teaching Welsh as a second language
The response can be read here Adolygu’r Cwricwlwm Ymchwiliad Donaldson Ymateb Dyfodol
SPENDING ON WELSH FOR ADULTS NEEDS TO DOUBLE
Dyfodol i’r Iaith welcomes the new arrangements for teaching Welsh to Adults. The Welsh Government says the new central arrangements will start in September 2015. .
“Establishing a central system was one of the recommendations made by Dyfodol i’r Iaith to the group reviewing Welsh for Adults” said Heini Gruffudd, Chair of Dyfodol i’r Iaith. “By creating a National Organisation for Welsh for Adults the field can be led by experts”
But Dyfodol i’r Iaith is concerned that the new organisation will not have enough money to develop the field as it should.
“It is a great pity that as the government is re-organising it is also cutting the funding available for Welsh for Adults by 8%. Spending in this area is a third of what it is in the Basque country, which is in a similar situation to ours. If we are serious about reviving the Welsh language across Wales we need to double the funding, not cut the funding” said Heini Gruffudd.
“It is only by sufficient spending that the Welsh language can be taught to adults thoroughly with enough teaching hours ac in plenty of local venues.”
“We welcome the emphasis on Welsh in families but we need an adequate system to develop an army of teachers in our schools and to teach the massive amount of people dealing with the public.”
In October 2012 Dyfodol presented nine recommendations including doubling the amount spent on Welsh for Adults.
Other recommendations included:
The Welsh Government should support students from Wales who want to study in Wales, but not give financial support to students from Wales who want to study in other countries.
This is the call from Dyfodol i’r Iaith, in response to the report of The Financial Directors Group for Higher Education in Wales on higher education fees.
Heini Gruffudd, Chairman of Dyfodol i’r Iaith, said: “Supporting students from Wales in this way would help solve several issues:
• It would give a fillip to the development of Welsh language higher education courses, and the plans of the Welsh National College
• It would help mitigate emigration from Wales, and keep our best talent in the country
• This in turn would stimulate our indigenous economy.
Heini Gruffudd added: “Another big advantage would be that it would relase enough cash to enable the Welsh Government to give a full grant to students from less privileged backgrounds, making higher education in Wales more inclusive.”
At the moment, students from Scotland get their higher education free in Scotland, and Scotland also give free education to students from the European Union. The Welsh Government gives a grant of up to £5,425 to each student from Wales who studies in Wales and in England.