A Plaid Cymru government will ensure every child has the right to become a confident Welsh speaker. Education through the medium of Welsh is the most effective way to achieve this.
We will grow the number and proportion of children and young people receiving Welsh-medium education, as a central part of reaching at least one million Welsh speakers by 2050 – ensuring provision is well-resourced, inclusive and accessible.
Making full use of the powers in the Welsh Language and Education Act, we will:
- Introduce a target of at least 50% of pupils in Welsh-medium education by 2050.
- Set local targets to ensure steady growth of Welsh-medium education in all schools, progressively moving schools along the language continuum.
- Intervene with targeted support and, if necessary, take remedial action if targets for Welsh-medium education are not being met.
- Ensure Initial Teacher Education in Wales includes mandatory Welsh-language training, with the long-term goal that all teachers are able to teach through the medium of Welsh.
- Introduce a Welsh education workforce scheme, develop new sabbatical opportunities, and provide incentives for teachers to train to teach through the medium of Welsh.
We will also improve accessibility to Welsh-medium education by:
- Reviewing the Learner Travel Measure to address barriers in accessing Welsh-medium schools.
- Strengthening Additional Learning Needs (ALN) provision through Welsh, including improved training and continuing professional development for the education workforce.