Home » Education & Career » Welsh Language » Welsh Education, Part II

Welsh Education, Part II

© Sarah Stevenson

As I mentioned in Part I, the Welsh language has had a significant role in education in Wales over the second half of the twentieth century. There has been an upsurge in Welsh-medium nursery groups and primary schools in particular, giving thousands of children a bilingual education that will prove beneficial in their development, as well as in their future careers. But what about post-secondary education in Welsh? How can adult learners find language lessons? Part II will briefly examine these topics.

Higher Education.
Part I discussed how the important Education Reform Act in 1988 required Welsh to be part of the curriculum between ages 5 and 16. Once students have left the compulsory education system, however, they are left to fend for themselves with regard to language learning. One of the options that is slowly becoming more widely available is the pursuit of a college or university degree course in the Welsh-language medium.

An obvious result of the Welsh language requirement in the national curriculum is the need for teacher training courses. These are available both in Welsh and bilingually, so that teachers can adapt to Welsh-medium curriculum or Welsh as a second language. Some of the institutions where this teacher training is available include the University of Wales at Aberystwyth and Bangor, College Newport, the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education, Trinity College Carmarthen and the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (Kluge, sec. 4.2.3). Also of aid in this regard are standardized teaching materials and training programs sponsored by the Welsh Joint Education Committee's National Language Unit. This organization works with Local Education Authorities and teachers to develop appropriate high-quality programs and activities for Welsh-language studies.

Another option for further Welsh-medium study consists of university degree courses in Wales-related subjects, such as Welsh language, literature, or history. For example, the University of Wales, Lampeter offers a variety of Welsh studies, and the University of Wales, Swansea offers a program in Adult Continuing Education. However, options are still limited when it comes to pursuing further education in other subjects, either vocational or academic, through the medium of Welsh. Things are changing, though, especially with regard to vocational courses. With the increased emphasis on bilingual skills in the workplace, more Welsh-medium training is becoming available.

Funding has also improved for Welsh-medium degree programs at the university level in subjects other than Welsh. Institutions that provide a fair selection of these programs include Trinity College Carmarthen; North East Wales Institute of Higher Education; Welsh College of Music and Drama; and the University of Wales in Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff and Swansea (Kluge, sec. 4.2.3). Subjects are wide-ranging, from History, to Mathematics, to Business, to German, and several others. There is not a huge demand for these courses, and provisions are limited, but some options are indeed available.

The copyright of the article Welsh Education, Part II in Welsh Language is owned by . Permission to republish Welsh Education, Part II in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.