Category Archives: The Assembly

STEPS IN RIGHT DIRECTION

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Dyfodol i’r Iaith has welcomed the deal struck between Labour and Plaid Cymru. The organisation is pleased to note that a commitment to ensure the growth of the Welsh language has again been confirmed and that the document includes several steps in the right direction regarding Welsh language policies.

Heini Gruffudd, Dyfodol’s Chair said:

“It is good to see that the agreement includes a number of measures aimed at regenerating the Welsh language and that this, it would appear, is part of the overall vision for the next three years.

We welcome confirmation that the problem of second homes is being taken seriously and, likewise the measures regarding the expansion of Welsh language education and ensuring that Welsh history receives its due attention within the Curriculum.

There are also measures which are key to supporting the growth of the language: Acknowledgement of the importance of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and the National Centre for Learning Welsh, for example, in addition to developing the Arfor project and a new emphasis on media and culture that is specific and appropriate to Wales. We also welcome the intention to expand and facilitate the Welsh Language Standards and the conservation of Welsh place names.

In welcoming all these proposals, we must however ensure that the document represents much more than fair words and goodwill. We must continue to insist that all of the measures which offer support to the language remain high on the agenda and are adequately funded and resourced.”

 

COMMISSIONER’S REPORT “FACES THE LANGUAGE SITUATION IN ALL ITS COMPLEXITY.”

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The language organisation, Dyfodol i’r Iaith has praised the Welsh Language Commissioner’s 5-Year Report as a comprehensive and perceptive document, which nails the challenges facing the language presently and towards the future.

Heini Gruffudd, Dyfodol’r Chair said:

“The Commissioner’s message is appropriate and timely, as Wales and the Welsh language continue to cope with the effects of Covid. The Report illuminates and confirms our own worries by placing the Welsh language in its widest social and economic context and putting the emphasis firmly on its day-to-day use. We insist that The Welsh Government take the contents of this Report seriously and act accordingly.

We agree that extending Welsh medium education is essential to the growth of the language and it is good to note that the Commissioner calls for action to remedy the shortage of teachers who are qualified to teach through the medium of Welsh. Without this fundamental move, there can be no basis for achieving the Government’s ambition regarding language growth.

We are very grateful to the Commissioner for facing and outlining the language situation in all its complexity.”

 

IEUAN WYN JONES’S COMMENTS CONFIRM THE NEED FOR AN

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Following Ieuan Wyn Jones’s comments in his book on his political career, Dyfodol i’r Iaith calls again for the establishment of an arms’-length Body to plan the future of the Welsh language.

According to Dyfodol i’r Iaith, extensive areas require urgent attention. The Government seems to be increasingly aware of the need for action on housing and the economy, the need to develop local communities, but implementation is lacking

Heini Gruffudd, Chair of Dyfodol i’r Iaith, said, “The lack of holistic planning is clear. The Welsh-medium education targets are becoming increasingly inadequate, there is a clear lack of funding to develop Welsh language learning for adults and in the workplace. The programme to teach Welsh to teachers is insufficient, with talk of introducing 60-hour courses, where 600-hour ones are needed.

“The establishment of an arm’s length body, with permanent specialist staff, who will be able to create a complete ongoing programme, to be accepted by various Government departments, is long overdue. Such a body would be able to give creative direction to language planning in Wales, with an emphasis on families and the community. It will be able to promote effectively and freely, and create plans over a long term. With intelligent regulation, and working with the Government’s Welsh Department, it will be possible to create robust conditions for the prosperity of the Welsh language.

“We look forward to discussing this with the Government, which, in all good faith, is slow in driving things forward.”

https://nation.cymru/culture/wales-needs-a-new-body-to-promote-welsh-says-ex-deputy-first-minister/