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Related Initiatives
1. There are a number of legal obligations and initiatives that have an important contribution to make towards or impact on the profile of languages in Scotland. These are briefly described below.
Race Relations Act
2. Under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, public authorities in Scotland have a duty to promote equal opportunities for people of different racial groups, which encompasses ensuring equal access to information and services they provide. Key public authorities must set out their arrangements around access to information and services in their Race Equality Schemes.
Disability Discrimination Act
3. Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 all service providers have a duty to provide a 'reasonable adjustment' to enable a disabled person to access their services such as making changes to the physical features of the premises or changing the way they provide their service. For example they could consider providing their leaflets or publication in alternative formats such as British Sign Language, large print, Braille and audio tape or providing a BSL interpreter or other form of communication support.
4. The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 places a duty on public authorities in Scotland to promote equality for disabled people from December 2006. Scottish Ministers are committed to this duty and expect Scottish public authorities to respond to this duty in a positive way. Most public authorities will have to produce disability equality schemes - will include involving disabled people as a key element - as part of their response to this legislation.
Council of Europe Charter for Regional and Minority Languages
5. The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages was drawn up in 1992 by the Council of Europe to help protect and promote Europe's lesser used languages. The UK Government signed the Charter in 2000 and ratified it in 2001 in respect of Welsh in Wales, Scots and Gaelic in Scotland and Ulster Scots and Irish in Northern Ireland. Manx Gaelic and Cornish were subsequently added.
One Scotland - Many Cultures
6. The Scottish Executive is committed to promoting equality of opportunity and social justice for all those who live in Scotland. Among other things this means tackling discrimination and prejudice and challenging the systems, behaviour and attitudes that cause or sustain them. The Executive's One Scotland Many Cultures Campaign 3 aims to raise awareness of the negative impact racist attitudes and behaviour have on individuals and society more generally but it also celebrates the cultural diversity of Scotland. The Campaign is supported by a number of national awareness raising projects including those run by Heartstone, and Show Racism the Red Card. The Campaign is just one part of the Executive's overall strategy to tackle racism and promote race equality in Scotland.
Language learning in the European Union
7. The European Commission believes that languages have a vital role to play in building a 'common home' in which 450 million Europeans can live, work and trade together. Learning other languages contributes to its goal of becoming 'the most competitive knowledge-based economy in the world' by the end of the decade. The purpose of the language competence indicator requested by the Barcelona European Council is to measure and stimulate progress towards the objective of improving language learning in the European Union, and in particular of encouraging all EU citizens to to speak and understand at least two languages in addition to their first language.
Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005
8. The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 received Royal Assent in June 2005 and its provisions were commenced in February 2006. The 2005 Act has a number of key provisions:
- it establishes a statutory body, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, as advisers to Ministers, public bodies and others on matters relating to the Gaelic language;
- it provides for the creation of a National Gaelic Language Plan (to be approved by Ministers), which we expect to be a blueprint for future Gaelic development setting out short, medium and long-term goals;
- it provides for Bòrd na Gàidhlig to request Scottish public authorities to prepare a local language plan setting out how they will use the Gaelic language in connection with the exercise of their functions.
9. The purpose of the 2005 Act is to help ensure a sustainable future for the Gaelic language by providing some direction to Gaelic development activities generally and specifically by taking a more strategic approach to how the public sector engages with the language.
Language entitlement in schools
10. Since 2001 all pupils in Scotland have been entitled to an experience of learning a modern language which: begins no later than Primary 6; builds on their prior experience of first and other language development, learning and use; is continuous and progressive in the same language; and covers a minimum of six years of study or its equivalent of approximately 500 hours. In May 2003 A Partnership for a Better Scotland reiterated the commitment to guarantee the opportunity to learn a modern European language starting in Primary school.
International Education and Language Learning
11. In September 2001, the Executive published its international education strategy: An International Outlook: Educating Young Scots About the World. The document seeks to address the important issue of how to develop in our young people a genuine international outlook for the 21 st century. Today's school pupils will spend their entire working lives as European citizens in an increasingly international world and the ongoing curriculum review, A Curriculum for Excellence, recognises that school education must prepare them for that. Many schemes exist to help schools deliver this aim from those that encourage transnational ICT links and joint curriculum projects between educational establishments to those that directly fund visits and exchanges. The British Council Scotland ( BCS) ( http://www.britishcouncil.org/scotland.htm) deliver many of these opportunities, including the Language Assistantship scheme which facilitates students or graduates from abroad to spend a year in Scotland assisting languages teachers in the classroom. BCS recently introduced Chinese language assistants to Scotland in cognisance of the fact that Chinese is the most spoken first language in the world and as China grows in economic, political and cultural influence it will become increasingly important that our people are able to learn about Chinese language and culture.
12. The Executive has signed a number of Cooperation Agreements with other countries and European regions which seek to consolidate and forge new educational links between pupils, teachers and policymakers. For example, the Action Plan of the Cooperation Agreement with France recently witnessed French and Scottish Higher Education Institutions agreeing to provide 4 week placements in each other's institutions as part of the BEd for Modern Languages. The Cooperation agreement with China aims to develop a knowledge and understanding of Chinese language and culture in Scottish schools with 200 young people taking national qualifications in Chinese by 2010. Education agreements with European regions such as Bavaria and Catalonia also encourage educational exchange and language learning through a variety of EU and Executive funded schemes.
13. The recent launch of the Scottish Continuing International Professional Development ( SCIPD) programme ( http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2006/12/15120945) will ensure more funding for Scottish teachers to embark on international study visits as well as ensure better integration of their learning into their teaching practice. LTS are also to appoint a dedicated officer to promote SCIPD and the benefits of international education in schools, and teachers will be encouraged to contact LTS direct for information on international visit opportunities which often encourage and inspire language learning.
Scottish Executive Education Department
January 2007
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