Highlands: elitist about Gaelic?
It’s over a month ago that concerns were raised within the Highland Council about the amount of money being spent on Gaelic.
A big issue seems to be how the Highland Council and Scottish government co-ordinate – according to last years budget report, of the £600+ million spending, £500 million of that was provided by the Scottish Government, with the rest made up from council tax.
And the Highland Council has a mandatory obligation from the Scottish Government to provide Gaelic eduction, signs, etc to support the language, which must come out of its budget.
Why is it that specialist Gaelic schools and nurseries are created, which can only cater for a very small minority of pupils but with big costs attached? Surely that’s not simply elitist, but also poor economic management?
Here’s a suggestion: why not simply teach Gaelic as a second language in Highland schools instead of French?
That way, Gaelic is made far more accessible, with all children being actively taught it – then we have an entire generation who can actually read the Gaelic road signs and various government literature presented in Gaelic.
The current situation just seems like bureaucratic madness – denigrating the traditional Scottish language as an expensive optional extra, while pushing French on the general education system simply out of habit.
Surely it’s time for the Scottish Government to wake up to the fact that instead of teaching French in schools, it would make more sense – culturally and economically – to teach Gaelic as a second language instead?
That way, all Scottish children would have an opportunity to learn some degree of it, instead of the majority being excluded?
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There is something morally repugnant in using the word “elitist” to describe support for a native linguistic community that has almost been exterminated (in the nicest possible way), by deprivation of access through the language to public services in the broadest sense- including road signage, education, care services and so on.
That deprivation of service is one of the key ways in which the percentage of the Gaelic speaking population of the Highland (Gaidhealtachd!) Region- though not the percentage whose very names are a statement of a gaelic heritage- has been driven down to its present historic low of 5%.
Now 5% of £600M is £30M. On this basis the absolute minimum budget spend not merely on, but through Gaelic (i.e. using Gaelic as the language of transaction/service delivery) at which the Council will cease to pressure Gaelic speakers not to use the language is £15M. This would have to be spread across all departments- including procurement and TEC services- though naturally most of the TEC services spend should be in the west where a large percentage of Gaelic speakers can be found in the construction industry.
Incidentally, £15M is over 3 times the council’s current spend on Gaelic in any way shape or form.
The idea of teaching Gaelic as the default second language may have some merit as well.
Thanks for the comment, Paedar – the current situation seems to suggest that millions are being spent to *keep* Gaelic speaking at 5%.
I just think teaching Gaelic in schools instead of French makes far more cultural and economic sense.
My kids are all in school at Nairn and have barely any exposure to Gaelic – which means, in effect, that because of the way the Scottish Government allocates money on Gaelic education, they are being excluded from learning the Gaelic language.
Personally, I just think it’s a tragic situation, if that means Gaelic will remain a minority language little understood by the majority of people in the Highlands.
Everone is entitled to their opinion but, surely they should take care to check that they aren’t simply airing half-thought out ideas.
Some points:
- is money not spent on English language schools?
- and do ‘English language’ schools not produce children competent in only one language?
- do Gaelic medium units/ schools – which are open to all and therefore not ‘elitist’ – not produce fully functional binlinguals with a good grasp of a third language?
- if Gaelic medium education produces kids who possess not only TWO languages but better cognitive skills, is it not a waste of money to educate kids in English-only schools?
For more information on the above, you could refer to a recent Scottish Government report which showed the highest attainment in Scottish schools was amongst Asian and Gaelic-medium children.
You could also consult the research of Professor Richard Johnstone of Stirling Uni, Professor Anabella Sorace of Edinburgh and Professor Colin Baker of Bangor. As to the ability of children to pick up multiple tongues through exposure and immersion then consult no less a source than Noam Chomsky.
Better, still, visit a Gaelic/Welsh/Basque medium school in their respective nations. In the Basque Country, children are immersed in Basque from age 0, they get 2 hours of English not as a subject but as a language of instruction/immersion from age 4 while the dominant language Spanish is only introduced at age 8. The 13yo children i met could write mature arguments regard nuclear power, for and against, in English, their 3rd language with almsot perfect syntax and spelling. In Scotland, 13yo children who have been taught in “accessible” French for 40 minutes a week can barely muster ‘comment ca va?’. Surely this is a gross waste of teaching time and money.
Children can easily pick up 3 or 4 languages from an early age if given the exposure. That means doing/living the language and not receiving it as a subject for 40 minutes a week.
http://www.bilingualism-matters.org.uk/home.html
Sure, I’m all for teaching children languages at school – it’s also a very good point that teaching them earlier is better than later.
But the fact remains that Gaelic education is *not* open to all because there isn’t the required volume of placements available to all. Millbank does have a Gaelic class, but it has limited places.
Also, my children do not know how to speak Gaelic so there would be little confidence as a parent in their being able to cope well with an unfamiliar main language for teaching, on top of the pressures of starting school.
Instead, only a very small minority are therefore able to effect a Gaelic education – and as the point you didn’t note, to the exclusion of other Highland children.
Seon, do you think it would be a better idea at least to campaign for Gaelic to be taught instead of French in general English-language schools?
That way, would it not mean that most Highland children are given at least a basic grounding in the language?
Remember, I’m not saying teaching Gaelic is wrong, I just think it makes little sense that so much effort is made to ensure 5% of children have access to a Gaelic education, and that the other 95% are given little if any access to the language.
Brian carson nach cuir sibh fòn gu Sarah? Why not phone Sarah,
She’d be willing to talk to you about Gaelic education issues in Nairn, if you and other parents demand more Gaelic then perhaps something can be done. You have to work on the authorities as well as letting the blogosphere know your probs.
You can get Sarah’s details here:
http://www.gurnnurn.com/2010/01/while-on-subject-gaelic-medium.html
Seon and Peadar make good points that you should consider researching.
Anyway even if the Scottish Government were to pass a law tomorrow making Gaelic compulsory as a second or even a third language it would be years before enough teachers could be trained to make that possible. Such is the ground that has to be caught up.
Kids have a natural ability to soak up language, I can across young people in Britanny at Rennes Uni that were fluent in Breton, French and English. To say that they were at an advantage in the modern world would be a massive understatement. They spoke the language of their ancestors and were anchored in their own national Breton culture – a precious gift when you consider the often soulless grey world culture that is gathering momentum all around us, they were also equipped to participate in the Francophone world and beyond that well tooled up to look for work or cultural experience in the English speaking world. Well done the Breton ‘Diwan’ schools I’d say.
Anyway speak to Sarah if you want some Gaelic for your kids.
Thanks for the recommendation, Graisg – will probably take that up.
A nice addendum on the topic of studying Gaelic as a second language today on the BBC, suggesting it is being opted for over German:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-11261424