Cyflwynwyd gan:Cyng / Cllr. Gareth Thomas
Decision:
a)
To commit £20,000 of funding from now
until the end of March 2019 from the Transformation Fund to fund the Gwynedd
Secondary Sector Language Strategy Coordinator. The post will be a means of
delivering on one of the commitments in the Council Plan, which will lead to
further increase in pupils' social and curricular use of the Welsh language.
b)
To return to the Cabinet with a request for further
resources to fund the Gwynedd Secondary Sector Language Strategy Coordinator
post from 2019/20 onwards, should the discussions with the regional consortium
(GwE) to fund the post in future not prove successful.
Minutes:
RESOLVED
a)
To commit £20,000 of funding from now
until the end of March 2019 from the Transformation Fund to fund the Gwynedd
Secondary Sector Language Strategy Coordinator. The post would be a means of
delivering on one of the commitments in the Council Plan, which will lead to
further increase in pupils' social and curricular use of the Welsh language.
b) To return to the Cabinet with a request for further resources to fund
the Gwynedd Secondary Sector Language Strategy Coordinator post from 2019/20
onwards, should the discussions with the regional consortium (GwE) to fund the
post in future not prove successful.
DISCUSSION
The report was submitted by Cllr Gareth Thomas.
The report was submitted noting that the
Language Strategy had been in place for years, and that the primary schools'
Language Charter had been rolled-out across Wales. It was expressed that a
follow-up to the Language Charter was needed in the secondary schools. The Coordinator had been appointed in April
2017 to lead on the language strategy and it was added that good work had been
done. Attention was drawn to Ysgol Tywyn where there had been
a change of attitude towards the Welsh language, after the coordinator had been
undertaking specific work at the school.
It was noted that a year ago, the Cabinet
Member had applied for additional resources, based on the same commitment of
resources that had been granted to the establishment of the primary schools'
Language Charter. A response had been
received at the Cabinet Meeting, noting that the Cabinet Member for Education
and the Cabinet Member for the Welsh Language, needed to write to the relevant
Cabinet Ministers in Welsh Government, asking them to provide the funding in order
to fund the Coordinator's post. A
response had been received from Eluned Morgan AM,
referring to the GwE regional consortia.
Following discussions with GwE, it was noted that it would not be
possible for the consortia to fund the post during 2018/19.
It was expressed that the Council would be able
to apply for funding from the regional consortia from 2019/20 onwards, noting
that the £20,000 being sought would be used to bridge both periods.
Observations arising from the discussion
-
It
was expressed that the response of Minister Eluned
Morgan was contentious, considering the fact that the Assembly was hoping to
have one million Welsh-speakers by 2050.
Astonishment was also expressed regarding the fact that the Government
did not view this as a golden opportunity to develop a Language Charter that
was already working in the primary sector.
-
It
was reiterated that the Welsh Language Support Grant had been cut by the
Government this year, which showed the Government's lack of commitment to
having one million Welsh-speakers. It was added that Gwynedd Council had done
the groundwork for the primary Language Charter and that the Government had
undertaken the project when it was successful.
Disappointment was expressed in that the Government was not prepared to
support and invest in order to develop.
-
.
Awdur:Debbie Jones
Supporting documents: