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Education - Gaelic

Text of speech given by Brian Wilson MP,
Minister with special responsibility for Gaelic,
at a meeting of the Community Education Review Group in Edinburgh
on 5th November 97
[ Thanks to the Scottish Office ]
[ Provided by Craig Cockburn ]

Introduction

"It gives me great pleasure to come to this conference organised by the Community Education Review Group on Gaelic. We are all here because we believe in the value and the potential of Gaelic, which is a distinctive part of Scotland and Scottish culture. It is particularly appropriate that the Review Group has organized this conference in the year in which we have had the Referendum which has given an overwhelming vote in favour of setting up the Scottish Parliament.

"We will be introducing the Bill into Parliament shortly and we expect it will complete all its stages in 1998 in time to allow elections to the Parliament in 1999.

"The Government's proposals mean the devolution to Scotland of a great deal of powers affecting everyday life in Scotland, a greater range of powers than was proposed in the model envisaged in 1978. The Scottish Executive will be responsible for health services, education, transport, housing, training, economic development, agriculture and the environment; and of course cultural issues including Gaelic.

"The Scottish Parliament will provide an opportunity for more in-depth assessment of the issues affecting Scotland, including European issues. It is a democratic step to have a greater scrutiny of the legislation which will affect Scottish society in a great variety of ways.

"Gaelic inevitably seems remote from a Westminster standpoint, but in Scotland and in a Scottish parliament I have no doubt that it will have a much higher profile. This will bring threats as well as opportunities, and the objective must be to maximise the opportunities and ensure that in the new political environment the place of Gaelic is secure and that the language thrives."

Education

"The Government's priorities are Education, Education, Education, and I have re-iterated this in relation to Gaelic.

"It is only within the last 10 years with the development of Gaelic- medium education that in-roads have been made into the problem of the lack of young people speaking Gaelic. The success of Welsh-medium education in Wales is an example of what can be done by a community determined to make the language live."

Education Initiatives

"In June I announced 3 initiatives in relation to Gaelic education.

"First, the Government recognised Gaelic-medium secondary education as part of the natural educational progression. Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools and officials would be discussing with local authorities ways in which the supply of secondary school teachers about to teach subject specialisms through the medium of Gaelic could be increased. The case for this has been strengthened by the Leirsinn Report on teacher supply.

"At the Royal National Mod in Inverness on 17 October I announced the results of this study. 143 teachers had expressed an interest in teaching through the medium of Gaelic; of these 26 were currently working in the secondary sector, in addition to the 25 secondary school teachers currently involved in some form of Gaelic medium provision. There is clearly scope for expansion in the availability of teachers. I hope to see an in-service course for secondary school teachers starting in 1998. Discussions will continue with local authorities about the detailed arrangements.

"Secondly, we want to see Gaelic-medium pre-school provision playing a strong part in the commitment to universal pre-school provision; in particular, we should be looking to local authorities to ensure that as far as possible a Gaelic-medium pre-school service is available where there is primary school provision for Gaelic-medium education. The demand for Gaelic-medium primary school provision is still growing, and I hope that we will be able to pump-prime through the scheme of Specific Grants. Again we shall be in close discussions with local authorities about the details.

"The third strand was to consult local authorities on the extent to which a requirement could be introduced that local authorities should provide Gaelic-medium education in response to parental demand. As might have been predicted, local authorities' reaction to this has been circumspect, to say the least. They are understandably concerned about the resources and about the level of demand that would be considered reasonable. These are genuine areas of concern which I recognise would need to be addressed before there could be any question of placing a requirement on local authorities in respect of Gaelic medium provision. At the same time, I am aware that unless parents can be assured of continuity of Gaelic medium provision they will be less likely to commit their children to it, and if we do not win the confidence of parents in this way the prospects of the language will be the poorer. I intend to continue the dialogue with local authorities with a view to finding mechanisms which will give both local authorities and parents the assurances they require."

Pre-School Education

"A vitally important time, however, comes even before the start of school education. Pre-school education is a pressing priority, and the Government and committed to expanding pre-school education to offer good quality places by the winter of 1998-99 to all children in their pre- school year, with staged targets for provision to 3-year-olds thereafter. Local authorities overall will be the main providers, but in some areas they will only be able to meet the targets by co-operation with the voluntary and private sectors.

"Gaelic-medium pre-school services will have their place within the expansion of pre-school education, and I am currently considering how best to achieve this."

Community Education

"I turn now to Community Education, the sector which is, of course, of particular interest to this audience.

"Community and informal education has perhaps not been in the forefront of talk about Gaelic education. Provision has not been uniform and there has been a lack of strategy in this sector. Nevertheless, the HMI Report 1994 on Gaelic education highlighted examples of very good quality in the Community Education Services.

"In particular the Report commended the work of the Community Education Review Group in planning effectively for the organisers of Gaelic classes to meet the demand with effective up-to-date provision. It is one of the strengths of Community Education that it can innovate.

"Community Education plays a major role in providing adult learning opportunities. It comprises a great variety of activities, including courses and other formal or informal education which enables people to develop their confidence, knowledge and skills in the language.

"Comunn na Gaidhlig has been giving priority to community education, and its support for the Sradagan movement has been particularly valuable. This is an example of the links between community education and community development.

"Community education in relation to the Gaelic world has some aspects which are shared with the rest of the country but also some which are quite distinctive. The development of adult education and its relationship with the Gaelic-medium schools is a distinctive element, and the commitment to adult education in Gaelic is notable.

"The local history associations, far from being merely academic, often involve a vital exploration of the cultural heritage, which has a real impact on how communities look at themselves. Some of them have also provided materials which have found their way into the local schools. This is something which rarely happens elsewhere and is one of the ways in which Gaelic versions of community education have a good deal to teach the rest of the country.

"The Scottish Community Education Council (SCEC) is developing its interest in Gaelic. I look forward to seeing a greater Gaelic component within SCEC's initiatives.

"The HMI report had a number of recommendations on training in relation to community education and in the preparation of more learning materials. I hope that we will be able to take forward many of the ideas set out in that Report.

"The Report said that there were about 2,000 adult learners. I suspect that this is a considerable under-estimate. I understand that there were at least 12,000 who responded to the Speaking our Language series organised by Canan, and I understand there are a further 8,000 serious adult learners.

"Whatever the precise number, the important point is that there is a sizeable group of adults who have a great deal of goodwill for Gaelic, and this is something which can and should be developed to the advantage of the language."

The Gaelic Broadcasting Committee (CCG)

"Broadcasting, both television and radio, can be a great power for Gaelic. The Gaelic Broadcasting Committee in its present and previous forms has given a new confidence that Gaelic can be a language of modern communications. Broadcasting can be used both in educational contexts and in reflecting on the Gaelic world. A living language needs to have a lively broadcasting regime.

"Broadcasting is going through enormous technical changes, in particular the digital revolution. It will soon be possible to have many more channels both through Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and satellite. There are already many channels through cable, which is important in the Central Belt but of limited relevance to the traditional Gaelic-speaking areas.

"The implications of the new technologies are not yet clear, but they certainly could be far-reaching. We will want to examine closely the possibilities, since these could enable broadcasting to play a greater part in relation to Gaelic."

Columba Initiative

"In June when President Mary Robinson came to Sabhal Mor Ostaig, I announced the Columba Initiative to promote and develop links between the Gaelic speaking communities of Scotland and of Ireland. A coordinator is to be appointed for the Initiative, and he or she will be based at Sabhal Mor Ostaig.

"Two weeks ago I visited Ireland, meeting the Minister for the Irish Gaelic, Mr Eamon O' Cuiv, and a number of people involved with the Irish language at Bord na Gaeilge in Dublin, Teilifis na Gaeilge in Galway, and the Ultach Trust in Northern Ireland.

"I found a great deal of enthusiasm for closer relationships with Scotland. I believe that exchanges will be of benefit to Gaelic-speakers on both sides of the sea. The current popularity of Celtic culture, both in Europe and in North America, is an inspiration to those who feared that Gaelic was a language of the margins."

Gaelic National Arts Project

"So far I have talked very much about Gaelic as a language. We must not forget that it is part of a vibrant culture, much of which is intensely musical. The Proiseact nan Ealan, based in Stornoway, has done a great deal of work to promote Gaelic art forms, including co-operating with related bodies in Ireland, and at the Edinburgh festival this year had a series of the Song of the Gael (Orain nan Gaidheal), which played to full houses in the Reid Concert Hall late in the evenings. One of the most moving events of the International Festival was the Service in the Greyfriars Kirk for the 14 hundredth anniversary of the death of St Columba."

The Mod

"The Royal National Mod also enjoyed a great success in Inverness this year. The numbers of people taking part are a testimony to the value which Gaels and other Scots attach to the well developed forms of music, singing and dancing, which form part of this great cultural celebration."

Feisean

"In the context of the Arts, I should pay tribute to the growth of the Feisean movement. This brings me back to Community Education, since I am sure that many of you as community educators and activists are involved in Feisean."

Conclusions

"For a long time Gaelic has faced an uphill struggle as we are all exposed to the mass media in English. But increasingly people value the heritage of Gaelic, the language, the poetry and the music, and I believe there is enthusiasm to make the language live. If we rise to the challenge, the new Scotland with its own Parliament will be that much richer for it."

Source:
From: Craig Cockburn
Subject: Speech on Gaelic by Brian Wilson MP
Date: Sun, 9 Nov 1997
Organization: Mo dhachaidh

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