A lack of Gaelic-speaking support staff and early years of Gaelic learning could be holding back the spread of Gaelic Medium Education (GME) across the country.

Meanwhile, a leader in Scots language education said that the lack of an official definition for “Scots language” and the included dialects risk alienating the varieties of language lessons in different local authorities.

On Wednesday, language teachers and experts gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People committee on what the proposed Scottish Languages Bill will need to bolster Gaelic and Scots language learning nationwide.  

The Stage 1 bill aims to establish Gaelic and Scots with official status and change support for the languages, especially in education.

Seonaidh Charity, chair of Comann Luchd-Teagaisg Àrd Sgoiltean (the professional association for Gaelic Secondary Teachers) said that the new bill will need to offer professional support for Gaelic teachers to help increase the uptake, especially among secondary school pupils.

“For all intents and purposes, GME stops at S1 or S2” in its current form, he said.

Scottish Government census data reported that in 2023, 1% of primary pupils were in GME. Secondary school statistics show a much lower involvement: for 0.2% of pupils, Gaelic is the only subject taught through Gaelic, while 0.5% have access to subjects other than Gaelic taught through Gaelic.

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In 2023, 12 local authorities reported no Gaelic education at the primary level, while 20 reported no Gaelic education at the secondary level.

Mr Charity also pointed out that although 418 teachers in the country can teach in Gaelic, only 266 currently do so.

He cited multiple reasons for this, including an increased workload for GME teachers, who he said go “above and beyond the role of teacher” by serving as ambassadors for the language while also carrying a heavy load to create teaching resources.

He added that there is also a lack of professional development available for GME immersion teachers, a lack of Additional Support Needs (ASN) staff for GME, and finding Gaelic resources and classroom assistants who speak Gaelic has become increasingly difficult.

As students move into secondary Gaelic education, Mr Charity said that children currently face a “postcode lottery” to determine whether they can achieve a Gaelic qualification.

“The current approach isn’t working very well in terms of the output we are getting at the end of Gaelic secondary education.

“If we look at what has been invested in Gaelic education so far and the number of students achieving qualifications, it’s not an efficient process. Particularly if you look at Gaelic learners, it’s taken a nosedive to the point that it’s facing an existential threat as a qualification."

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Legislation needs to set an expectation that children can continue in GME and earn qualifications because they are “very much the lifeline of the Gaelic development project,” he said.

Donald Macleod, Chief Officer for Education & Children’s Services at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said that one way that the new bill could support lifelong Gaelic learning for students is by enshrining a right to Gaelic and firming up Gaelic ELC offerings.

The Western Isles have many Gaelic language ELC centres, often running alongside English language settings, he said. Giving students early access to language immersion makes it more likely that they will continue.

“It absolutely starts people on a positive path towards Gaelic education, and it’s a really important first step in engaging parents in that journey.”

The Western Isles is home to by far the highest proportion of students in GME or learning Gaelic–all primary and secondary school pupils receive one or the other. In primary school, 46% of pupils are in GME, and 54% study the Gaelic language.

While Gaelic experts argued that the Scottish Languages Bill will need to set clear standards for local authorities for delivering and achieving in Gaelic learning, Bruce Eunson, Scots Language Co-ordinator for Education Scotland said that the bill will need to address the Scots language question of identity.

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The bill uses the term Scots language as a catchall for a wide variety of dialects. Mr Eunson said that the bill and any changes to how Scots language teaching is evaluated must accommodate Scots in all its forms.

“We want the teachers in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire to know that this bill means that they can carry on with their Doric teaching and that this bill represents the rights of Doric speakers. Same in Orkney, with Orcadian, same in Shetland with the Shetland dialect."

All 32 local authorities will have some version of Scots language education, although many may not call it “Scots”, he added. The bill needs to be written in a way that recognises all of the work being done in schools, so that teachers and local authorities are being judged on their actual work and not an ill-defined idea of what the Scots language is.

“Let’s not attempt to redefine or rebrand speakers. Let’s respect them wherever they are in Scotland and whatever name they’ve been using for generations.”