Boost for Gaelic

24th February 2013

Children learning Gaelic are set to benefit from new projects to help their studies.

Speaking at a summit on Gaelic Medium Education in Edinburgh today, Minister for Scotland�s Languages Alasdair Allan said six Gaelic education projects will share �90,000.

These projects include:

summer schools in Gaelic communities for trainee teachers
new research on how best to support pupils with additional needs
the development of prelim exam papers in Gaelic.
Minister for Learning and Scotland�s Languages Alasdair Allan said:

�Each of these projects will contribute significantly to how people can be supported in learning Gaelic.

�For Gaelic to have a sustainable and vibrant future we have to ensure that learners at every level get high quality education, resources and support. It is therefore important that, as well as delivering events and activities, we invest in support for the Gaelic language for children with specific needs, and give our teachers the best possible training.

�Immersing trainee teachers in Gaelic speaking communities will not only develop their language skills but will build their confidence in the practical use of it in day to day life. They can then pass on their own experience of the place Gaelic has in our contemporary society as well as to our cultural heritage to their pupils throughout their careers.�

B�rd na G�idhlig Ceannard (CEO), John Angus MacKay added:"It is very encouraging to see these strategic educational projects receiving funding from Scottish Government.

�They are important steps to creating a sustainable future for Gaelic-medium education and to meeting the need identified in the National Gaelic Language Plan to double the number of children entering Gaelic-medium education."

The projects receiving funding are:

�20,000 to provide additional support to learners: B�rd na G�idhlig will address the growing demand for resources to support children with additional learning needs and this funding will enable research into those needs and produce a comprehensive training manual to ensure support is available for children at every level of their education.
�20,000 to publish Prelim Papers for G�idhlig and Gaelic Learner at Standard Grade / Higher stages and an audit of Additional Support Needs: St�rlann N�iseanta na G�idhlig is creating a suite of prelim papers for Gaelic for both Fluent and Learner streams. It will look into what resources are needed to better help children with additional support needs in Gaelic Medium Education units and how that could be best delivered.

�25,000 for F�isgoil Tutor Training and F�isgoil Pilot Projects: F�isean nan G�idheal will use the funding to expand its ongoing work and provide more opportunities to schools, both with Gaelic and without, to learn the language.

�13,000 to give Learning Support for Edinburgh School Pupils: City of Edinburgh Council will receive additional learning materials which will help the expanding school role at the new standalone school at Bonnington.

�10,000 for Gaelic summer school places for teacher training students: Glasgow University continues to develop the very successful summer school for those learning Gaelic and those on teacher training in conjunction with B�rd na G�idhlig on behalf of all the bodies providing teacher training in Gaelic. The summer school will allow students the opportunity to work and live in a Gaelic community as part of their learning. It is a common practice in language studies but has not been made available to those learning Gaelic before. The summer school is a step to address this and those who have attended have highlighted it as fundamental to their development.

�5,000 to Gaelic [AT] The university of Glasgow initiatives: The University of Glasgow will use the funding to capitalise on progress in embedding Gaelic into its corporate work since the appointment of a Gaelic officer. It will support activities to take the language into the local community and to build on relations with Irish colleagues.