Strategy issued to get a million people speaking Welsh by 2050
THE Welsh Government has issued a rallying call for the whole country to help it achieve its ambition of increasing the number of Welsh speakers to a million by 2050.
Publishing a policy paper titled Cymraeg 2050, First Minister Carwyn Jones and Welsh Language Minister Alun Davies stressed that while the Welsh Government would provide leadership, the target could only be achieved if the whole nation pulls together to make it happen.
The document sets out 10 mainly education-linked measures it will take in support of the aim:
Make rapid progress to expand Welsh-medium early years provision by 150 nursery groups over the next decade to facilitate a seamless transition into Welsh-medium education;
Increase the proportion of each school year group receiving Welsh-medium education from 22% (based on 7,700 seven-year-old learners in 2015/16) to 30% (about 10,500 in each year group) by 2031, and then
40% (about 14,000 in each year group) by 2050;
Transform how Welsh is taught to all learners in order that at least 70% of those learners report by 2050 that they can speak Welsh by the time they leave school;
Increase the number of primary teachers who can teach in Welsh from 2,900 to 3,900 by 2031 and 5,200 by 2050; increase the number of secondary teachers who can teach Welsh from 500 to 900 by 2031 and 1,200 by 2050; and increase the number of secondary teachers who can teach through the medium of Welsh from 1,800 to 3,200 by 2031 and 4,200 by 2050;
Reform the post-16 Welsh-medium and bilingual education and skills offer to ensure that young people have the opportunity to continue developing bilingual skills to support a prosperous economy;
Review the legislation which underpins the Welsh language to ensure it offers a strong foundation for promoting and facilitating the use of Welsh;
Ensure that Welsh Government leads by example by promoting and facilitating increased use of Welsh by its own workforce;
Develop a new regional focus to economic development to help all parts of Wales benefit from prosperity and support each area to develop its own distinctive identity;
Transform the Welsh language digital landscape with particular focus on language technologies;
Develop a national programme to increase understanding of bilingualism.
In a joint foreword to the plan, Mr Jones and Mr Davies describe Welsh as “one of the treasures of Wales” and say: “It is part of what defines us as people and as a nation.”
They say the 2011 Census results, which showed a drop in the number of Welsh speakers living in Wales to 562,000 – 20,000 down from 2001 – presented an opportunity to have frank conversations and re-evaluate the future for the language.
According to the two ministers: “Things need to change. We need to renew our energy, be systematic in our approach to planning, and improve collaboration in order to secure the legacy our language deserves.
“We are very clear that it is our responsibility as a Government to set the direction and provide leadership for this work. This Government has the will and the commitment to do so. But it is also vital that we as a nation take ownership of the challenge.
“Government cannot insist that parents and carers use the Welsh language with their children, that children play together in Welsh or that someone uses Welsh socially. We can, however, work to provide the conditions to facilitate an increase in the number of Welsh speakers and an increase in the use of Welsh.
“The overarching message in this document is that we need to reach a position where the Welsh language is an integral element of all aspects of everyday life.
“If we want to achieve this, the whole nation has to be part of the journey – fluent Welsh speakers, Welsh speakers who are reluctant to use the language, new speakers who have learned the language, and also those who do not consider themselves to be Welsh speakers. Everyone has a part to play, and we want everyone to contribute to realising our ambition.”
But Toni Schiavone, chair of Cymdeithas yr Iath Gymraeg’s education group, was disappointed by the plan.
He said: “The content of the Government’s language strategy is far from sufficient if we are to reach a million Welsh speakers.
“Indeed, the targets are lower than those in the strategy they announced seven years ago. The decrease in these targets raises big questions about the Government’s desire to achieve the target. The strategy is weak and totally inadequate as it stands.
“It is surprising there is no mention of the clear commitment made by both the Minister and the First Minister to remove second language Welsh and to establish a new qualification in its place by 2021.”
Heini Gruffudd, chair of pressure group Dyfodol i’r Iaith (A Future for the Language), issued a note of caution, saying: “The Government has in the past set targets for the growth of Welsh medium education, but has failed to achieve them. This is because the Government had failed to win over local authorities, especially in south and east Wales. The Government now needs to show how it will ensure that local authorities get the support and finance to attain these ambitious targets.
“Some authorities, such as Gwynedd and others in west Wales have made Welsh-medium education a priority. The Government needs to convince local authorities in all parts of Wales that Welsh-medium education should be a priority for the next 30 years. Unless this occurs, the strategy will fail.”
Lynne Davies, chair of Welsh-medium education parents’ group RhAg, said: “The ambitious goal set by the Government is completely dependent on increasing the numbers who are educated through the medium of Welsh. So increasing the infrastructure of Welsh medium schools is an indispensable element of our journey towards the million. It is reassuring to see the Government recognise the need to accelerate this if we are to have any chance of success.
“The weakness of the past has been the failure of government to ensure that local authorities act; we must ensure that local government take ownership of their operational responsibilities and that central government is clear about what practical support it can offer. We need to bridge the gap between aspiration and realising that aspiration.
“Working in partnership is the key, so let’s now ensure that everyone is seriously committed to achieving this in the coming years.”