Latest news with #WelshSpeakers
Sky News
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Target to reach one million Welsh speakers by 2050 has been set - but how likely is it?
Wales's government has set the aim of having one million Welsh speakers by 2050 - along with a doubling of the daily use of the language by then - but is that target achievable? Figures from the latest census in 2021 showed a fall in the number of people who could speak Welsh compared to a decade earlier. An estimated 538,000 people in Wales - or 17.8% of the population - said they could speak Welsh, compared to 562,000 in 2011 (or 19% of the population). Some efforts to increase the prominence of the language in recent years, including the Brecon Beacons National Park's decision to refer to itself only by its Welsh name Bannau Brycheiniog, have faced criticism from some quarters. But a YouGov poll of more than 1,300 Welsh people earlier this year found two-thirds (67%) were in favour of efforts to increase the use of the Welsh language, compared to a fifth (20%) who were against. Efa Gruffudd Jones, the commissioner tasked with promoting the use of the language, published her manifesto for next year's Senedd election on Friday. She told Sky News the Welsh language's position had "stayed fairly constant over the last 20 years". "If we really want to change anything going forward, we need to change some of the things that we do," she said. "[Targets] are inspirational, they can inspire people to do more. But, on its own, setting a target doesn't mean that you achieve it. "So I really think we need to think hard about how we increase the numbers of Welsh speakers and how we ensure that more people can use it in their daily lives." Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage told ITV Wales last month that he would scrap the target if the party forms the next Welsh government. In her manifesto, Ms Gruffudd Jones has five key proposals for the next Welsh government as people in Wales prepare to head to the polls in May next year. They include increased use of the language in workplaces, more public services available in Welsh and mandatory Welsh language training for newly-qualified teachers, with the commissioner insisting such a move would not "alienate" potential new recruits to the profession. "It's about creating the opportunity for everyone who wants to come into the workforce to be able to develop their skills and to be able to make sure that every child who wants Welsh-medium education in Wales [is able] to receive it," she said. At Welsh-medium secondary schools, at least 60% of learners have a minimum of 70% of their lessons in Welsh, according to Welsh government criteria. And at Welsh-medium primary schools, at least 80% of pupils' school activities will be in Welsh from the age of seven onwards. 'Nothing to be afraid of' The Welsh language commissioner published a report last month which found young people's use of the language socially, including on social media, was "limited". Gwynedd Council, in northwest Wales, has outlined plans to make Welsh the "principal language" of education across the county, in an effort to boost the number of people who leave school speaking the language. The proposals, which are subject to public consultation over the coming months, are set to "remove bilingualism and bilingual teaching" from its schools' policy. But Councillor Dewi Jones, the cabinet member for education on Gwynedd Council, has insisted English-medium education "is not being phased out". He told Sky News that pupils moving to Gwynedd from outside of Wales would be given support with their Welsh through the county's language immersion units. "There's nothing to be afraid of here, I'm completely confident that any latecomers to the county will be able to fully integrate and become fully bilingual," Cllr Jones added. He said the council was "very proud" to have a "very high number of Welsh speakers" in the area, "especially among young people". "But we're ambitious to go beyond that and ensure that all young people in Gwynedd are fully bilingual so that they have the benefits of both the Welsh language and the English language," he said. 'Academic language' In Ysgol Cwm Rhymni, a Welsh-medium secondary school in Caerphilly, Year 12 students have just finished their exams and are starting to think about the next steps after school. Mili, who speaks Welsh at home with her family, said the language was an "integral part" of her life. "For many students, their parents don't speak Welsh, so they don't hear Welsh on a more social level, it's more of an academic language for them," she told Sky News. Another student Megan said there were "a lot of people" who wanted to use Welsh outside of school but there were "a lack of things for them to be able to use Welsh". "People would be willing to speak Welsh if there are things there to allow them to speak the language once they've learned it," she added. Student Ben said there was a "lack of places where you can speak Welsh in the south that aren't schools or festivals". Meanwhile, fellow student Maisie said there were already "a lot of opportunities" to use Welsh outside of school, such as in Welsh-speaking groups, but they weren't "advertised" enough. On the streets of Cardiff Bay, opinions were mixed over the target to reach a million Welsh speakers by 2050. "I think we could [reach it] because there are a lot of Welsh schools now, and all the schools are learning to speak Welsh," one woman said. "I don't know if you will get to a million, but I certainly would aim for that, as close to that as you can," another added. One man said it was unrealistic as Cardiff was "not a Welsh-speaking capital" but that the language was spoken more widely in other areas. What do the political parties say? Plaid Cymru's Welsh language spokesperson Heledd Fychan said the party has "a range of progressive and radical policies" on the Welsh language and that Wales needed "a government that is willing to act". Tom Giffard, the Welsh Conservatives' shadow Welsh language secretary, said "neither language should be squeezed out of any area" and it must be ensured that "additional bureaucratic strain is not placed on the health or education services". Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said the party supports the vision to "expand the use of Welsh across public services, workplaces, and education" but that the proposals should be delivered in a way that is "fair" and "inclusive".
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Plan to halt Welsh decline in language's heartlands
Welsh-speaking communities will receive more support after calls for a "radical shift" to stop the language's decline. Under Welsh government plans, there will be better access to education in Welsh and more guidance on the language across a range of areas, including housing, the economy, community development and education. The support, targeted at areas with high numbers of Welsh speakers, aims to strengthen the language in its heartlands in counties such as Anglesey, Gwynedd, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. Welsh Language Secretary Mark Drakeford said the government would "respond to the specific needs of Welsh-speaking communities". Gwynedd has an estimated 93,600 Welsh speakers and Carmarthenshire has 93,300, according to the Welsh government's annual survey. Plans come after the recommendations of a Welsh government commission in 2022 to halt the decline of Welsh speakers and its report made 60 suggestions to support the language in its traditional "heartlands". Teacher inspires Welsh learning in school with 23 languages New five-year plan to meet Welsh language target Most lessons in English to be phased out in Welsh county Earlier this year, Welsh government statistics indicated the percentage of people able to speak Welsh was the lowest recorded for more than eight years, causing some to question the target of creating one million Welsh speakers by 2050. Drakeford will make the announcement at the Urdd Eisteddfod at Margam Park, Neath Port Talbot later. The Welsh government said it would co-ordinate with local authorities and partners to discuss and implement the recommendations. Drakeford said accepting the commission's recommendations could "strengthen Welsh in our communities". The commission released a second report in February recommending that the effect on the Welsh language should be considered during planning applications, which was met with some concern from builders who said this could increase bureaucracy and lead to delays in building "much-needed" housing. Elin Haf Gruffudd Jones, chairwoman of the Welsh Communities Commission, called the announcement a "historical turning point in public policy" but said it did not undermine how important the language was "across the whole of Wales". Welsh speakers use TikTok to teach the language Number of Welsh-speakers lowest in eight years Report calls for radical shift to protect Welsh
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
'Historic' bill to boost Welsh learners passed in Senedd
A bill which aims to ensure all pupils in Wales finish school as "independent Welsh language users" has been passed in the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Bill aims to close the gap in Welsh speaking ability among pupils from different also aims to make progress towards the 2050 target of a million Welsh speakers by strengthening the role of the language in Language Secretary Mark Drakeford described the bill as "historic" and said currently "we don't get enough from the investment we give to teaching Welsh in English-medium schools". The legislation sets out three language categories for maintained schools with a minimum amount of Welsh language education to be provided by schools in each three are "primarily Welsh language" (minimum 80%), "dual language" (50%), and "primarily English language, partly Welsh" (10%).Speaking in the Senedd on Tuesday evening, Drakeford said the bill "will give every child the opportunity to become an independent, confident Welsh speaker by the time they finish compulsory education, a bill that will open doors for our pupils, a bill that provides new job opportunities, provides access to the rich culture of the Welsh language, and allows people to enjoy using the language in their everyday lives". 'Persuade more parents' Speaking on the Dros Ginio programme, on BBC Radio Cymru, Drakeford said "we don't get enough from the investment we give to teach Welsh in English-medium schools, we don't get enough for the child, for the teachers, or for Wales as a whole". "What we do in the bill is to change the whole system. "There will be a duty on the government to set targets, there will be a duty on local authorities to say how they are going to help schools ensure children can speak Welsh and there will be duties on schools as well, and through the institute [National Institute for Learning Welsh] we are going to give more help to schools and teachers to help children in our schools, after a decade of learning Welsh, to become Welsh speakers."Cymdeithas yr Iaith (the Welsh Language Society) have said "the aim should be Welsh-medium education for all and we are disappointed that politicians have not pursued this path."But Drakeford rejected that idea, telling the BBC "it is not up to the government to make decisions like that on behalf of parents"."I want to persuade more parents to use education through the medium of the Welsh language, but at the end of the day it is the choice of the parents and the child." Conservative Tom Giffard said his party have been in favour of the objectives of this bill because "If more people want access to Welsh-medium education, then it's important that there is provision available to ensure that they're able do that".Plaid Cymru's Cefin Campbell said his party "believes that every child should have the right to receive the precious gift of bilingualism through the education system and, as we all know, a complete education through the medium of Welsh is the most effective way to create confident and fluent Welsh speakers".The legislation also seeks to ensure that steps are taken to provide intensive Welsh language immersion education throughout Wales, helping learners of all ages develop their Secretary Lynne Neagle said "our approach to late language immersion is unique. This bill builds on the excellent work already happening in across Wales, ensuring all children can learn, use and benefit from Welsh".About 23% of pupils are educated in Welsh and the government's ambition is to increase that to 30% by 2030-31 and 40% by 2050. The former chief executive of the Welsh Language Board (abolished in 2012), Meirion Prys Jones, told the BBC that he welcomes the bill because it was "important, timely, and it ties in with the target of one million Welsh speakers"."It puts in place structures that we haven't had since the Senedd was established."But he warned "there has been a complete lack of progress for ten years in the percentage of children receiving education through the medium of Welsh", which is around 23%."So at the moment the systems to persuade parents to choose Welsh-medium education are not working."He warned "it is possible that not much will change. We need something that drives this forward. We need a clearer strategy".
