Experts from the Council of Europe have urged authorities to strengthen the teaching of Gaelic and Scots in a new report.

The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages report is based on information provided by governmental and non-governmental sources, including information obtained during a visit to the UK in February 2024.

The experts consulted on both Gaelic and Scots as part of their work.

The ECRML report highlighted census data and information received by its committee that the numbers of and percentages of speakers of Scottish Gaelic in the Highlands and Islands continued to decrease, while numbers of speakers in other parts of Scotland, particularly in urban areas, continue to grow, although they represent very small percentages of the population in those areas.

While programming is delivered in Gaelic on BBC Alba and BBC Radio nan Gàidheal, the former had a "high percentage of repeat programmes and (a) limited range of genres".

Read More:

During the on-the-spot visit, speakers raised concerns over the uncertainty of funding for Scottish Gaelic development. Budgetary allocation to Bòrd na Gàidhlig and MG Alba has for many years not kept pace with inflation.

The Council of Europe experts recommended continuing to take measures to ensure continuity of Scottish Gaelic-medium education throughout pre-school, primary and secondary education across Scotland, as well as taking further measures to ensure recruitment and retention of Scottish Gaelic teachers.

As a further recommendation they urged the Scottish Government to develop and introduce a distinct curriculum appropriate for Gaelic-medium education, instead of a translation of the English curriculum.

The report found that while Scots "continues to enjoy a degree of commitment from the Scottish Government" a "more structured policy and adequate funding" would allow the language to develop further.

It further reported that while communication with the Scottish Government and Education Scotland can be done in Scots, that is not based on formal policy and the use of it in public life is "patchy".

It said: "Representatives of speakers emphasise how the existence of negative attitudes towards speakers of Scots and Scots as a language in public life seriously hamper its protection and promotion.

"In addition, questions relating to the language continue to be highly politicised. The cross-party group on Scots at the Scottish parliament, providing a platform for exchanges on issues relating to the promotion and protection of Scots, was reformed and now facilitates wider participation."

The Committee of Experts said: "In Scotland, an in-service teacher professional learner programme for Scots targeting primary and secondary teachers was launched in 2024, with 120 registrations for its first edition, funded by the Scottish Government. This course helps support teachers wishing to teach through the medium of Scots. According to speakers, the high demand for this training points to a shift in mindset towards Scots and an increasing interest by pupils, students, and parents for Scots language learning.

"The Committee of Experts welcomes this development, given the high number of Scots speakers as shown by the latest census, and in the context of first language acquisition and the role this can have on literacy skills of pupils, especially at primary school level. In light of this, it looks forward to receiving further information on the outcomes of the programme and whether it becomes systematised in the next monitoring round."

As an immediate action it recommended the Scottish Government develop an adequately funded strategy for the promotion of Scots in education, media and public life, with other recommendations including taking appropriate measures to counter prejudice and intolerance in relation to Scots and its speakers, raising awareness among parents of the value and benefits for children of learning Scots and the possibility of studying Scots at all appropriate stages of education, encouraging the use of Scots in media to give visibility to and raise the prestige of the language as a language of daily communication, ensuring that the Media Bill and the future revision of the BBC Royal Charter include the adequate promotion of regional or minority languages, including Scots and extending the grounds set out in the Equality Act so as to explicitly cover discrimination based on language.