MSP concerned over Gaelic proposals

Orkney MSP Liam McArthur has voiced concern at moves by the Scottish Government to put into law a nationally-set entitlement to education in Gaelic.

On Tuesday, the Scottish Parliament’s education committee considered amendments at Stage 2 of the Education Scotland Bill, during which the minister, Dr Alasdair Allan successfully introduced changes that would see “an entitlement” to Gaelic education.

The Bill sets out that “every education authority must promote the potential provision of school education in the area of the authority.”

According to Mr McArthur, the consequences of these provisions could mean that Orkney Islands Council may have to prioritise spending to ensure that there are teachers and other resources available to provide Gaelic medium education in the islands.

Mr McArthur said:  “In Orkney, where there is no tradition of Gaelic, and where education budgets are already stretched, it is difficult to see why this issue should be given priority over other demands on council spending.  Politics is about priorities and the notion that teaching Gaelic might be considered a priority in Orkney schools will leave many people scratching their head.

“It is out of step with the distinctive linguistic, historic and cultural heritage of Orkney and shows, once again, that Scottish Ministers are happy to ride roughshod over local decision-making.

“There is no doubt that efforts to promote the Gaelic language are welcome and necessary.  However, ministers’ plans for a nationwide ‘entitlement’ are disproportionate and fail to respect the distinctive cultural heritage of diverse communities across Scotland.”