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First Minister criticised for ‘regressive’ comments about Welsh-medium education after census results

08 Dec 2022 5 minute read
First minister of Wales Mark Drakeford during the Labour Party Conference at the ACC Liverpool. Picture by Peter Byrne / PA

Language campaigners have criticised the First Minister for saying that he said that he did not want to see all children in Wales being educated through the medium of Welsh in the future.

Speaking in the Senedd, Mark Drakeford had said that compulsory education for everybody through the medium of Welsh was not the answer to the Welsh language in Wales.

“It will alienate people who are sympathetic to the Welsh language,” he said. “It will set the language backwards, not forwards.”

He was responding to disappointing Census results which showed a further drop in the number of Welsh speakers in Wales, with the biggest fall among 3-15 year olds.

But Catrin Dafydd from Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s education group said that the First Minister was saying that he was happy to exclude most children from being able to learn Welsh.

“We are amazed that a politician like Mark Drakeford who believes in social justice chooses to ignore the injustice of the current situation by rejecting the reasonable calls to give all children Welsh-medium education over time,” she said.

“As things stand, 80% of our young people are deprived of the Welsh language by the education system itself.

“Through these regressive comments in the Senedd, it’s clear the First Minister would choose to exclude the majority of our young people from the Welsh language for generations to come, instead of opening the door for everyone to have access to the language.”

‘Block’

The 2021 Census language figures were published on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics, and show a drop in the number of Welsh speakers to 538,000, or 17.8% of the population, despite the Government’s target of increasing the number of speakers to a million by 2050.

Catrin Dafydd called for a Welsh Language Education Act that opened up the language to anyone who wanted it.

“Given Tuesday’s Census figures, these comments raise the question of whether Mark Drakeford’s Government is serious about the million target at all,” she said.

“Setting a goal is not going to achieve anything without taking action to ensure growth.”

“Right now, thousands of children are missing out on the opportunity to become fluent in Welsh, and we know that the situation is not going to change overnight. But a long-term goal of placing all schools on the journey towards Welsh-medium education by 2050 is more than reasonable. It appears from his comments that the First Minister is actively choosing to prevent 80% of Welsh children from becoming fluent and confident Welsh speakers.”

She added: “The Welsh Language Education Act should be an Act for those who are being left behind, a law that will ensure that every young person who leaves school in future will have a real choice of which languages they want to use in their daily lives.

“Decisions like this should be made from a child-centric perspective, but unfortunately these comments show that the First Minister is willing to block the interests of future generations.”

‘Negative attention’

Yesterday a lobbying group said that there were “signs of hope” in the Welsh language census data despite an overall fall.

Dyfodol i’r Iaith said that a look at where the number of Welsh speakers had risen and fallen painted a rosier picture.

They said that the fall since 2011 was mainly in the 3-15 age group where children’s Welsh language ability would be reported by parents rather than the individuals themselves.

Meanwhile, there was an overall rise of 2,500 speakers across the 16-64 age groups. Among 20-44 year olds, there was a rise of 3,100 from 15.6% to 16.5%.

“The negative attention as a whole is based on a fall in the percentage of 3-15 year olds it is claimed speak Welsh,” Heini Gruffudd, the Chair of Dyfodol i’r Iaith, said.

“But those percentages are more of an interpretation by parents that a real test of whether children can speak Welsh.”

Dyfodol i’r Iaith pointed to the fact that amid 16-64-year-olds there was a rise in almost every county, with a small drop in Denbighsire, Pembrokeshire and Neath Port Talbot.

It was only in Carmarthenshire that there was a significant drop in that age group, they said.

“The growth is quite positive considering that the patterns of emigration and immigration are so negative towards the Welsh language,” Heini Gruffudd said.

“The growth is a positive sign that schools are producing an increased number of Welsh speakers.

“We need a complete program of community action throughout the country, including solving the crisis in housing, promoting the Welsh language in the home and in the community, together with ensuring the rapid growth of Welsh education and teaching Welsh to adults.

“Ultimately enjoying using the Welsh language personally and communally is key, and the positive messages need attention.”


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Cawr
Cawr
2 years ago

Drakeford needs to be deposed for someone with a backbone, or at least something more than what MD has.

The Original Mark
The Original Mark
2 years ago

I’ve never known a country to be so apathetic about its self. You don’t have to siarad Cymraeg to be Welsh but ffs people need to stop attacking their own language and culture, I wonder how many of those belting out yma o hyd recently are unionist voting britnats, 90 minute Welshmen?

JAD
JAD
2 years ago

It works both ways though doesn’t it. My parents and grandparents were educated through the medium of English even though their language at home was Welsh. They suffered the results of the attempt to ban the use of Welsh in schools and promote English as the language of those who wanted to succeed in life. Much of the efforts in terms of Welsh education is in place today to reverse things that should never have happened to begin with.

Richard
Richard
2 years ago
Reply to  JAD

Were your parents born in the mid-19th century? My father, born into a Welsh-speaking family in 1920, was taught the language at school, alongside English, which was obviously essential if he wanted to get anywhere in life.

hdavies15
hdavies15
2 years ago
Reply to  Richard

I was born in 1950 in rural Sir Gar, spoke Welsh only until age 6-7 then English became the dominant medium even in a little school full of Welshies. By age 11 I was a little Sais in the making ready to be sent onto the local grammar school where Welsh was a subject not a medium. Put up with that for the rest of my schooling but rejected the process which I only learned later was a covert form of assimilation. So if engineering was good enough for the dominant Sais regime it’s got to be good enough for… Read more »

Riki
Riki
2 years ago
Reply to  Richard

It was essential to learn English because they forced it on us, through Law, Work, and media. You could easily be arguing for Koreans to stop speaking Korean because over a Billion people speak Chinese.

Richard
Richard
2 years ago
Reply to  Riki

Where did I argue for Welsh people to stop speaking Welsh?

Riki
Riki
2 years ago
Reply to  Richard

Half the World speaks one of three languages, Chinese, English or Spanish. Should the thousands of other languages across hundreds of Countries be gotten rid of? Having no use for it outside of your country is in no way shape or form a valid reason to get rid of it.

Richard
Richard
2 years ago
Reply to  Riki

I agree with your point, but don’t really see its relevance to my original comment. I am most certainly not suggesting that Welsh should be “gotten rid of”.

JAD
JAD
2 years ago
Reply to  Richard

I think you’l find it was common for lessons to be taught through the medium of English in schools situated in Welsh Speaking areas even in the 1950s.

Last edited 2 years ago by JAD
Anorthosis Famagusta
Anorthosis Famagusta
2 years ago

To reach the target of 1 million Welsh speakers by 2050 we would have to see significant changes in the way the Welsh language is taught in schools and the ways its use is encouraged in society generally. The Welsh government have committed to a policy objective that inevitably involves some form of social engineering – otherwise that policy/aspiration is completely unachievable.

Richard
Richard
2 years ago

The policy recommendation in question seems completely arbitrary, a figure plucked out of the air. Unless the Welsh Govt works as hard to make Welsh the primary language of Wales as the Govt of Israel did to make Hebrew its language there is no chance of meeting the target. Will the Welsh Govt propose measures to that end? Or will sit wringing its hands as the language continues to decline?

Cynan again
Cynan again
2 years ago

Good little Unionist wouldn’t want the Cymry to rediscover their heritage and pride. (Their ACTUAL heritage, not just dragons and daffodils, rugby and male voice choirs, or the war crime that was the Emipre’s occupation of Kwa-Zulu Natal)

Cynan again
Cynan again
2 years ago

It’s anti-Cymru social engineering which got us here. Righting an old and sustained injustice is not the same thing.

Richard C
Richard C
2 years ago

There is a difference between teaching Welsh to all children and educating all of them completely through the medium of Welsh.

Rhufawn Jones
Rhufawn Jones
2 years ago

Welsh medium education could be increased tenfold, without it even becoming ‘compulsory’. ‘Rhieni dros Addysg Gymraeg’ consistently find that huge amounts of parents would send their children to a Welsh medium school if there was one near by. There is a ‘need’ – based on the desires of parents – for 6 new Welsh medium primary schools in Neath Port Talbot alone. I don’t remember the figures for all of Wales, and can’t find them now, but it’s in the dozens. Just build them (instead of un-needed houses!!)

Rhian Davies
Rhian Davies
2 years ago

Hi, I spent 10 years of my childhood in Wales, but unfortunately was forced by my father to live in England, until my uncle vouched for me to bring me back in 2007. I eventually found the ‘ddysgu Cymraeg’ course online, and I’ve never looked back! It’s so lovely to speak a language that I enjoy pronouncing – much more than frustrating Imperial English, with all its glottal and nasal stops and silent letters, syllables etc! And learning French, another Imperial language, at school was even worse than English for similar reasons! It’s a step-up having Cymraeg in my life,… Read more »

Eifion
2 years ago

Ceffyl da ydi ewyllys Mr Drakeford

M powell
M powell
2 years ago

In South Wales, Welsh medium schools are provided as cheaply as possible where English schools are put where the demand is, often with one class per year. Councils should have to open additional schools if bus transport is needed and a second class needed for year one.

Frank
Frank
2 years ago

Adults are making more of a fuss about teaching through the medium of Welsh. The children just get on with it without drama.

Rhufawn Jones
Rhufawn Jones
2 years ago
Reply to  Frank

And become fluently bilingual in the process!

Frank
Frank
2 years ago

English is a forced language. Try reading Welsh history about schoolchildren being made to speak English and punished for speaking their native tongue.

Riki
Riki
2 years ago

Well he’s a Puppet isn’t he? Clear for all to see.

Rhufawn Jones
Rhufawn Jones
2 years ago
Reply to  Riki

Exactly. Welsh Vichy Government.

I.Humphrys
I.Humphrys
2 years ago
Reply to  Rhufawn Jones

So glad to see these comments coming through now.

Riki
Riki
2 years ago

So in your mind Trying to eradicate a language through force and Intimidation is the same as Mandating it in order to save it? That’s some Weird logic!

Richard
Richard
2 years ago
Reply to  Riki

Is there any logic in the way you randomly capitalise roughly one word in ten?

Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
2 years ago

Frankly shameful to see Mark Drakeford pandering to the anti welsh language bigots – and he knew exactly what he was doing when he made those remarks. But we should not be surprised – the branch office of the uk labour party in Wales has historically always been happy to pander to the welsh language haters when it suits it

Robert
Robert
2 years ago

As an Englishman planning to move to Cymru, I fully support the idea of 100% Welsh-medium schools in Cymru.

I.Humphrys
I.Humphrys
2 years ago
Reply to  Robert

Croeso!

Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
2 years ago

‘Social engineering’? 🤣 Crikey it looks like the infamous anti welsh language troll ‘jacques protic’ has been resurrected.

Richard
Richard
2 years ago

during my time in the WJEC & PDAG I had the privilege to sit close to the late Dafydd Orwig and John Lazarus Williams who were secure, fair and progressive in the views on Welsh medium education and how it should fit the different parts of our nation. Their academic background balanced by their electorates in Gwynedd and Ynys Môn influenced the members from Clwyd and Gwent for certain but also the hard core of old valleys Labour many who saw Welsh as retrograde at best and regressive at worst. I saw how clear arguments empowered the likes of Garth… Read more »

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