The big problem facing the Welsh language outside school

Wales Online

6 days ago

The big problem facing the Welsh language outside school
Even among fluent Welsh speakers and those who have learnt Welsh at home, the lack of use of the Welsh language "is a real concern", a new report from the Welsh Language Commissioner says
General use of the Welsh language by children and young people outside school is "limited" and there are "negative" attitudes towards the language among a "significant" minority, a survey from the Welsh Language Commissioner has found.
With the Welsh Language and Education Bill expected to receive Royal Assent in a few weeks the report looked at use of Welsh inside and outside the school gates. It found that English is also the main language used by young people on social media or online "because it is easier and reaches a wider audience".
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Despite this there are "positive attitudes" to the Welsh language among fluent Welsh speakers with the majority in this group "proud" of their ability to speak it. Sign up for our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.
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"While the use of Welsh within the school and the attitudes towards the language were encouraging, the use of it by the young people socially, including on social media, was limited, with a significant proportion of those surveyed saying that English was their main language when using social media," the report, published on Friday (May30), says.
The survey, based on focus groups and questionnaires answered by 1,600 11 to 21 year-olds across Wales included more than a third who received mainly English-medium education and indicated that they spoke very little Welsh. A Welsh medium school where children speak too much English has recently been put in special measures and you can read more about that here
Welsh Language Commissioner, Efa Gruffudd Jones
(Image: Welsh Government )
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"As one would expect, the use of the Welsh language is very low among these respondents," the report says. Use of Welsh is "much higher" among fluent Welsh speakers, those who have learnt Welsh at home, and those who have received a Welsh-medium education.
"The questionnaires highlighted negative views from a minority, but still significant, proportion of the respondents regarding the Welsh language. A number of the respondents indicated that they were not interested in the Welsh language, that it was a waste of time, and that it was not relevant to their lives," the document adds.
Responses were received from 11 to 21 year-olds from 18 of the 22 local authority areas in Wales. No responses were received from the Blaenau Gwent, Monmouth, Pembrokeshire and Torfaen areas.
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The commissioner said work to increase use of the Welsh language among children and young people outside school "needs to be intensified". Even among fluent Welsh speakers and those who have learnt Welsh at home, the lack of use of the Welsh language "is a real concern", the document warns.
It went on: "The negative attitudes towards the Welsh language that exist among some groups of children and young people need to be addressed. Part of the solution is to offer these children and young people better opportunities to learn and use the Welsh language through the education system in the first place.
"There was very little evidence of negative attitudes towards the Welsh language among those who had received a Welsh-medium education, for example.
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"Although all children and young people need to be encouraged to use the Welsh that they have, the results highlight that there is a significant challenge in encouraging fluent Welsh speakers to use more Welsh outside school. There is a significant number of children and young people in Wales who are fluent in Welsh, who have positive attitudes towards the language, but who make very little use of Welsh outside school. "
Welsh Language Commissioner Efa Gruffudd Jones said the research was carried out to get a better understanding of the language habits of this age group when they engage with families and friends in various activities outside school, in online communication, on social media, and when receiving services. It will be used to develop future work promoting Welsh.
The commissioner said the education system is "key" in providing opportunities to learn and use the language and that the survey also shows children and young people are more likely to use Welsh in sports activities rather than socially.
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"Children and young people are vital to the future of the Welsh language," she said. "This wide-ranging research offers us an insight into the use of Welsh by young people.
"Our five-year strategic plan published earlier this year responds to the main conclusions of this research and outlines how I will take action to encourage greater use of the Welsh language among young people. The research also provides us with an evidence base as we draw up our manifesto proposals for the Senedd election in 2026, which will be published within the coming months.
"There is no doubt that the report highlights significant challenges particularly in the field of social media but it also identifies opportunities, in the area of sport for example, and I will prioritise creating and strengthening strategic partnerships in order to further develop those opportunities."
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Some of the report's findings include:
The general use of the Welsh language by children and young people outside school is limited
Positive attitudes towards Welsh are evident among fluent Welsh speakers and those who learned Welsh at home, with the majority proud of their ability to speak Welsh
The education system plays a key role in providing opportunities to learn and use Welsh
Children and young people are more likely to use Welsh in sports activities, especially with coaches and leaders
The use of Welsh when communicating online and on social media is limited, with the majority using English because it is easier and reaches a wider audience
Children and young people are least likely to use Welsh on the high street
Lack of public services provision of Welsh language, in areas such as health, are "a barrier to the wider use of Welsh"
Myfanwy Jones, director of Welsh language community initiative Mentrau Iaith Cymru, said opportunities to use the Welsh language outside school need to be expanded.
The report says the Welsh Government and organisations need to work on changing attitudes and behaviour to encourage more children and young people "to consider the Welsh language as belonging to them".
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Efa Jones, a first year university student and former pupil at Ysgol Bro Dur, admitted: "Me and my friends spoke Welsh together at school, but we speak a mix of both Welsh and English when we're not at school. I think social media is responsible for that as English is the main language that is used there."
Plaid Cymru education spokesperson Cefin Campbell MS said the percentage of of primary school pupils learning through the medium of Welsh has barely risen in the last decade while the percentage of secondary school pupils at Welsh medium schools has fallen
(Image: Ben Evans/Huw Evans Agency )
Plaid Cymru education spokesperson Cefin Campbell, MS for Mid and West Wales, said the research findings were "disappointing" and emphasise the work that needs to be done to ensure that Welsh remains a living language.
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"In my home county of Carmarthenshire, for example, we have seen a fall in the use of the Welsh language from over 50% in the 2001 Census to under 40% in 2021," he said.
"Bridging between a school and the community it serves is essential to encouraging greater community use of the Welsh language and should certainly be a priority for the Welsh Government. That would involve greater funding for organisations like the Urdd, Mentrau Iaith and arts and sports programmes in Welsh, which should link closely with the local school's extra-curricular provision .
" I would also want the Welsh Government to implement the recommendations of the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities urgently and in full.'
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He said the percentage of primary school pupils learning through the medium of Welsh has barely risen in the last decade while the per centage of secondary school pupils at Welsh medium schools has fallen.
"In 2014, 21.9% of primary school pupils were being educated through the medium of Welsh; by 2024, the corresponding percentage was 22.5%. Over a 10 year period, we saw an extremely small increase of just 0.6%. Over the same period, the percentage of secondary school pupils receiving their education through the medium of Welsh had actually decreased from 14.2% to 13.5%.
"The fact that we have in effect stood still for an entire decade underlines the need for a complete transformation of the current system to achieve significant growth in the number of pupils receiving Welsh-medium education, along with a fundamental change in the way that Welsh is taught in English-medium schools."
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The NSPCC Cymru said the findings about which language is used most online also has safeguarding implications: 'We believe the findings need to be carefully analysed to ask whether measures designed to protect children on these platforms equally apply when children are using social media in Welsh or in a combination of Welsh and English," Cecile Gwilym from NSPCC Cymru said, 'The findings show this is an area that requires further research and attention particularly from Welsh Government, Ofcom and technology companies."
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: 'The Welsh language belongs to us all and we are committed to reaching our target of doubling daily use of the language by 2050. We will do this by continuing to work across the government and beyond to provide free Welsh language lessons to thousands of young people, sustain our Welsh-speaking communities, increase language use in all areas and contexts, and to develop Welsh language technology.'
* The commissioner's research will be formally launched today (FRI MAY 30) at 11am at the Welsh Language Commissioner's stand (59-60) at the Urdd Gobaith Cymru National Eisteddfod.
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