Caithness.org News Bulletins -  October 2002

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DECLARATION AIMS TO SAFEGUARD GAELIC
A call for the Scottish Executive to safeguard the future of the Gaelic language and culture was made today (Wednesday) by a delegation from The Highland Council.

The delegation met Mike Watson, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport with responsibility for Gaelic in Edinburgh to hand over a declaration supported by business leaders and major agencies operating in Scotland, as well as hundreds of individuals including Sir Sean Connery and Sir Magnus Magnusson.
 

The Declaration urges the Executive to embrace the Ministerial Advisory Group's recommendations which includes the introduction of a Gaelic language Act; a Gaelic Development Board; the dedication of £10 million annually to promote Gaelic; and a dedicated civil service unit in the Executive. Launched in June 2002, the declaration has been promoted by the Council's Gaelic Working Group. It was prepared by Lochaber Councillor Michael Foxley and Area Manager John Hutchison who were concerned for the future of the Gaelic language and culture and the need for urgent action, especially to provide more Gaelic-Medium teachers.

Convener of The Highland Council, David Green said: "Many people signing the declaration have emphasised that they believe the Gaelic language to be approaching a crossroads. We urge the Executive to take action now for the regeneration of the language and the culture."  Councillor Michael Foxley said: "We cannot afford to lose this opportunity to take forward the language which is an asset for all the people of Scotland.  We desperately need serious action now if Gaelic is to survive, flourish and be handed down to future generations.

The Chairman of The Highland Council's Education, Culture and Sport Committee, Councillor Andy Anderson said: "Education plays a vital role in the resurgence of Gaelic.  At the moment the number of Gaelic-medium teachers coming through teacher training is totally inadequate. The Executive must tackle this problem and increase its targets for the number of new teachers trained and then deployed."

Council Gaelic spokesman Councillor Allan Beaton said: "Unless the Scottish Executive agrees to action and accepts the Meek recommendations urgently, it will be too late and the language, together with the culture and music associated with it, will disappear."

The Gaelic Declaration:
We the undersigned, believe that the Gaelic language is an asset for all the people of Scotland and that it enriches not only the lives of those who use it but also the cultural fabric and identity of the whole nation.

We recognise that Gaelic, like any other minority language requires the support and goodwill of government at all levels if it is to have the opportunity to survive, flourish and be handed down to future generations.

We believe that the Ministerial Advisory Group on Gaelic has produced a report that sets out the basis for the revitalisation of Gaelic. We urge the Executive to take action now for the regeneration of Gaelic.

We believe that the most urgent need - in order to meet the crisis which is frustrating the expansion of Gaelic-medium education at both primary and secondary level - is to develop a fast track for the recruitment, training and deployment of Gaelic Medium Teachers.

We call on the Scottish Executive to embrace these proposals in a spirit of enthusiasm and to recognise that Gaelic should not be seen as a problem for Government but as an opportunity to secure the many benefits, including economic ones, which the language can bring.

The Scottish Executive's response to the report by the Ministerial Advisory Group on Gaelic will go a long way towards determining the future prospects of the language. We therefore call on the Scottish Executive to react to this in a positive way.

History awaits this decision.