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Attempts were made recently to create a storm over Welsh medium education with an article in the Western Mail written by Professor David Reynolds who claimed that "the dream of Welsh medium education" was over.
The professor - who is a lecturer in Plymouth and Exeter universities and is well known as an enthusiastic supporter of Welsh medium education - was referring to the fact that many English medium schools had improved their performance recently, whilst four Welsh medium secondaries in the South East of Wales had seen a fall in their GCSE results. This was in spite of the fact that a number of other Welsh medium secondary schools had again improved their results as they had been doing year on year, whilst all Welsh medium schools are known to be looking continually to expand the golden opportunity of Welsh medium education to include as broad as possible a range of young people.
Here is an article by Tim Pearce, Chairman of RhAG, which was published in the Western Mail in response to Professor Reynolds' very selective research.
THERE are many reasons why parents choose Welsh medium education for their children. Certainly, they notice the excellent exam results of these schools, but it would be sad if that were the only reason why people chose Welsh medium education.
The sector has been attacked for being elitist, but the charge simply does not stand up. Welsh medium schools - Glan Clwyd and Rhydfelen to be precise - were among the first comprehensive schools in Wales, and Welsh medium schools have always attracted children from the widest possible backgrounds. A few years back, the then headmaster of Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr in Swansea held a survey into the backgrounds of his pupils to assess whether the charge of exclusivity really stood up. He found that their socio-economic backgrounds exactly matched the average for Swansea as a whole, yet his school's exam results were consistently higher.
What is regrettable is that those pupils inevitably come from the areas where Welsh medium primary schools happen to be located and therefore there are large areas that lose out on the chance of a Welsh medium education.
Yes, parents send their children to Welsh medium schools for their academic excellence but more specifically it is the new dimension that the ability to speak Welsh gives their children. Bilingualism - which is easiest acquired by being immersed in the langauge, not by a few hours of tuition a week - roots children in their native culture giving them a sense of history and purpose, it opens their eyes to the cultural diversity of the world, it makes learning foreign languages easier, in short it stretches their minds.
The Welsh medium dream is not over, as Professor Reynolds seems to think. It is a growing reality which many long to see available to every child in Wales.
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