Commenting on the Welsh Labour Government’s response to a review of school provision for Welsh as a second language, Suzy Davies AM, Shadow Minister for the Welsh Language, said:
“After decline in the Welsh language under 15 years of successive Labour Governments, something’s got to change.
“We welcome the end of the GCSE Welsh second language short course since it is unclear what it was even intended to achieve.
“I hope the money saved will now be invested in very early years both inside and outside the school environment.
“It’s at this very young age that language begins to become a genuine part of people’s lives.
“While many efforts to improve fluency in Welsh will focus on second language capacity, we mustn’t ignore the need to improve first language Welsh provision, which remains vital in building a truly bilingual society.
“Teaching Welsh in schools is about embedding the language as a key communication skill, alongside English and modern foreign languages, rather than another subject to fit into the curriculum.”
