Children’s rights and language rights

To celebrate The Scottish Languages Act coming into force on St Andrew’s Day (30 November), we are pleased to share this bilingual English/Gaelic article originally published in the Autumn/Winter issue of Children in Scotland Magazine.

Article 30 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) states that all children who are part of a linguistic minority have the right to use their own language and enjoy their own culture and customs with other members of their community. Ellen Morton considers what this looks like for Scotland’s population of 21,500 young Gaelic speakers.

In Scotland, a lot of the heavy lifting of supporting Gaelic speaking children and young people is done through providing Gaelic medium education (GME), where the teachers speak only in Gaelic with the pupils all day, teach them to read and write in Gaelic and English, and build their spoken Gaelic skills. A key reason for this emphasis on formal education is because it is essentially free to educate children in Gaelic rather than English – as changing the language the teacher is speaking does not entail any significant additional costs.

Despite this, Gaelic medium education still faces opposition from some. Recently, a candidate for next year’s Holyrood elections defended her online comments which derided GME and argued that the provision of Gaelic education was the reason that English speaking children with additional support needs were not getting the funding for the support they need.

While this is factually incorrect, it also represents a greater trend of ‘scarcity politics’ where children from different groups are pitted against one another; where young Gaelic speakers enjoying their right to education in their language are seen as a threat to children with disabilities who need support at school. Where the need for young Gaelic speakers to enjoy out-of-school activities to socialise in their language is seen somehow as an attack on young Urdu speakers who need the same thing. Why is the discussion stuck on which of these groups of children are more ‘deserving’ of funding, instead of working together to figure out how we can put provision in place for every child to enjoy the full range of rights afforded to them under the UNCRC?

In terms of Gaelic, there are some serious concerns that the focus on formal education alone is limiting the fluency of Scotland’s young Gaelic speakers, who are only used to speaking Gaelic in school-based contexts. Research into other minority languages such as Basque, Māori and Hawaiian show how vital it is to provide informal, community-based spaces where the minority language can become an everyday part of children and young people’s lives and social networks. Funding again remains the key stumbling block to delivering that kind of support for Gaelic speakers in Scotland, and as a result we are seeing a worrying decline of fluent speakers in the Gaelic heartlands.

However, it is also important to reflect on how far things have come. The number of young Gaelic speakers has more than doubled in the past 10 years, which is an incredible achievement. As a teacher in a Gaelic school, I had the privilege of watching many children become bilingual. These children became able to pronounce the place names of their local areas and developed the ability to sing and understand the words of traditional music. I met grandparents who had assumed they would be the last in their family to ever speak Gaelic. Many of this generation were physically beaten or ridiculed at school for speaking their native language, and as a result did not pass it to their own children. I can’t explain how beautiful it is to watch their grandchildren now be able to speak, sing, and play with their grandparents in Gaelic.

Còirichean cloinne is còraichean cànain

Tha alt 30 de Chùmhnant nan Dùthchannan Aonaichte air Còraichean Chloinne ag ràdh gu bheil a’ chòir aig cloinn bho mhion-choimhearsnachd no aig a bheil mion-chànan an cànan aca fhèin a chleachdadh agus an cultar agus an dòigh-bheatha aca a leantainn am measg nan coimhearsnachd aca fhèin. An seo, beachdaichidh Ellen Morton air cò ris a tha sin coltach do na 21,500 clann aig a bheil Gàidhlig ann an Alba.  

Ann an Alba thèid a’ mhòr-chuid dhen taic do luchd-labhairt òga a lìbhrigeadh tro sholarachadh Fhoghlam tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig. Ann am FMG, bruidhnidh na tidsearan ann an Gàidhlig a-mhàin fad an latha gus am faigh na sgoilearan an cothrom na sgilean labhairt a thogail sa chànan, agus cuideachd sgrìobhadh agus leughadh ionnsachadh ann an Gàidhlig is Beurla. Am prìomh adhbhar ’s gu bheil cuideam cho mòr ga chur air foghlam foirmeil gus an cànan ath-bheothachadh ’s e gu bheil cha mhòr an-asgaidh gus seo a dhèanamh – tha sin ri ràdh nach eil cosgais a bharrachd na lùib ma thèid pàist oideachadh sa Ghàidhlig seach sa Bheurla.

A dh’aindeoin sin, tha cuid a luchd-poilitigs fhathast dubh an-aghaidh FMG. O chionn ghoirid, dhìon tagraiche do Pàrlamaid na h-Alba na thuirt i ’s i a’ toirt slaic air FMG air-loidhne agus a’ cumail a-mach nach robh taic gu leòr ann do chloinn air a bheil ciorram ann am foghlam tro mheadhan na Beurla air sgàth ’s gun deach am maoineachadh aca a thoirt do chloinn ann am FMG.

Ged nach eil na thuirt i idir fìor, tha e a’ sealltainn dhuinn treand nas motha dhe ‘politeags a’ ghainneid’. Seo far an tèid clann bho dhiofar choimhearsnachdan a chur an-aghaidh a chèile; far a bheil clann a gheibh a’ chòir air foghlam anns a’ chànan aca fhèin, air am faicinn mar bhagairt air còraichean agus taic do chloinn air a bheil ciorram. Far a bheil cothroman do luchd-labhairt òga na Gàidhlig an cànan a chleachdadh taobh a-muigh na sgoile air am faicinn mar ‘ionnsaigh’ air luchd-labhairt òga Urdu aig a bheil feum air na h-aon seòrsa chothroman. Carson a tha an còmhradh stuigte, a’ deasbad cò chlann a tha ‘nas airidhe’ air maoineachadh seach a bhith ag obair còmhla gus solar a chur air dòigh gus an urrainn do gach pàist buannachd fhaighinn às na còraichean air a bheil iad uile airidh fo UNCRC?

A thaobh na Gàidhlig fhèin, tha draghan mòra ann gu bheil an cuideam a tha ga chur air FMG a-mhàin air bacadh a chur air fileantas luchd-labhairt òga na Gàidhlig, nach eil cleachdte ri Gàidhlig a bhruidhinn ach ann an suidheachadh na sgoile a-mhàin. Tha rannsachadh bho mhion-chànain eile, a leithid Basgais, Māori is cànan Hawai’i a’ sealltainn dhuinn cho cudromach ’s a tha e gun tèid àitichean neo-fhoirmeil anns a’ choimhearsnachd fhèin a chur air bhonn gus an tèid am mion-chànan fhighe a-steach do bheatha làitheil agus dàimhean sòisealta na cloinne. Tha maoineachadh fhathast na bhacadh mòr a thaobh a bhith a’ toirt seachad taic mar seo dha daoine òga aig a bheil a’ Ghàidhlig, agus mar thoradh air sin, tha sinn a’ faicinn gu bheil an uimhir de dhaoine a tha fileanta sa chànan a’ sìor dhol an lùghad ann an sgìrean far an robh i uair aig cridhe na coimhearsnachd.

Air an làimh eile ge-tà, tha e cudromach a bhith moiteil às an adhartas a chaidh a dhèanamh. Chaidh an àireamh dhen chloinn aig a bheil Gàidhlig dà uiread am meud thairis air na 10 bliadhna a dh’fhalbh – adhbhar moit gun teagamh. Nam thidsear FMG, chunnaic mi iomadh sgoilear a bha air fileantas a ruigsinn. Bha iad an uair sin comasach air ainmean-àite nan coimhearsnachdan aca fhèin a fhuaimneachadh, agus ceòl traidiseanta a thuigsinn agus a sheinn. Choinnich mi ri seana-phàrantan a smaoinich gum b’ iadsan an ginealach mu dheireadh anns an teaghlach aca aig am biodh Gàidhlig. Chaidh an càineadh agus an dochann nuair a bha iad fhèin aig an sgoil, agus mar thoradh air sin cha do thog iad an cuid cloinne le Gàidhlig a-staigh. Chan urrainn dhomh a chur am briathran cho àlainn ’s a tha e an oghaichean fhaicinn a-nis a’ bruidhinn, a’ seinn, agus a’ cluich còmhla ris na seana-phàrantan aca sa Ghàidhlig.

To find out more about the Scottish Languages Act – which also covers Scots – click here.