This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Spreading the word about Gaelic online
27/10/2006
More choice is on the timetable for growing numbers of Gaelic-speaking Scottish secondary pupils -at the click of a mouse.
Online lessons mean pupils can study geography - with history and modern studies in the pipeline - through the medium of Gaelic, even if the school does not have a Gaelic-speaking specialist in that subject.
Schools using the online resources include:
- Ardnamurchan High
- Tobermory High
- Islay High
- Tain Royal Academy
- Plockton Academy
- Greenfaulds High, North Lanarkshire
Classroom mentors are on-hand to provide support in classes and the online lessons are marked by a Gaelic-speaking subject specialist - who may be hundreds of miles away.
The online lessons are one way Scotland is exploiting new technology to overcome the shortage of Gaelic medium secondary teachers. Future developments will include the use of video-conferencing lessons, hosted by the new Glasgow Gaelic secondary school.
And Education Minister Peter Peacock, who has ministerial responsibility for Gaelic, today shared news of the progress with counterparts in Ireland during a visit to Galway to attend the British-Irish Council's minority languages ministerial group.
Mr Peacock said:
"More and more Scottish pupils are now enrolled in Gaelic medium primary classes but subject choice is often very limited for these pupils in secondary schools.
"We want to ensure Gaelic is a language with a flourishing future so it's vital that they can continue to develop their language skills. That's why we are utilising new technology to bridge the geographical gap and make the best use of our Gaelic-speaking subject specialists.
"This meeting of the British-Irish Council ministerial group is a great chance to share the benefits of our experiences as well as finding out about how other countries are promoting their minority languages."
The use of online lessons is just part of the Executive's drive to increase the range of subjects available through Gaelic medium in secondary and recruit more teachers. As well as trying to recruit more Gaelic speakers into teaching, efforts are also being made to tap into the pool of Gaelic-speakers who could teach Gaelic medium but choose not to.
Mr Peacock was in Ireland to attend the British-Irish Council ministerial meeting on indigenous, minority and lesser-used languages.
Mr Peacock accepted the recommendations of the Gaelic Medium Teacher Action Group in November 2005 to increase the number of Gaelic medium teachers.
The latest figures show that in 2005, 255 primary teachers were able to teach through Gaelic but only 156 were currently doing so. In secondary schools, 124 teachers were able to teach through Gaelic but just 52 were doing so, although this is up from 42 in 2004.
In 2005/06, there were approximately 840 pupils enrolled in Gaelic medium nurseries. At September 2005, there were 2,048 primary and 433 secondary pupils in Gaelic medium education. A further 160 primary pupils were taught Gaelic through the medium of Gaelic and 2,924 were being taught Gaelic as a learner. In secondary, 1,292 pupils were being taught Gaelic through the medium of Gaelic and 2,095 were being taught Gaelic as a learner.
The Executive has a Gaelic ICT Implementation Group, chaired by Highland Council's Education Director Bruce Robertson, which is ensuring that new technology is fully exploited to improve the secondary Gaelic medium curriculum choices.