Eisteddfod legacy: the growth of Welsh medium education in Powys
Jul 17, 2019
THE Urdd Eisteddfod visit to Llanelwedd this week offers a golden opportunity to leave a lasting legacy for the prosperity of the Welsh language in Powys.
THE Urdd Eisteddfod visit to Llanelwedd this week offers a golden opportunity to leave a lasting legacy for the prosperity of the Welsh language in Powys.
This is the call made by parent-led organization RhAG (Parents for Welsh medium Education), as it urges the Council to seize the opportunity to expand the provision of Welsh-medium education throughout the county.
Positive signs are already underway with the opening of Ysgol Gymraeg y Trallwng in Welshpool last September and the tremendous success of Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd, in Newtown, an undoubted sign of increasing demand.
Wyn Williams, National Chair of RhAG,
“There is a pressing need to extend the Welsh language to all parts of the county. There are too many areas still without local, accessible Welsh-medium education provison and this needs to be rectified.
“Expanding the provision, by establishing more Welsh language schools, will transform the landscape in terms of Welsh-medium education in the county, in line with the Welsh Government’s expectations to strengthen bilingualism and will make an important contribution to the aim of increasing the number of speakers to a million by 2050.
“We hope that we will see several significant developments over the next few years, including the opening of a Welsh-medium primary school in the Llandrindod Wells area, moving Ysgol Bro Hyddgen, Machynlleth along the language continuum by removing the English medium stream and establishing a 2A Welsh medium secondary school in the north of the county.
“The demand and need is clear: concrete steps must now be taken to establish the provision.
“We therefore call on the Council to embrace a far reaching vision for the growth of Welsh medium education for the long-term future of the Welsh language in the County.”