Part of 1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education – in the Senedd at 2:05 pm on 22 March 2017.
I think one of the most inspiring things that we’ve seen in recent years has been the growth in the enthusiasm for the language in the parts of north-east Wales that you represent, which haven’t been, traditionally, Welsh-speaking areas. I remember that one of my first visits as a Minister in this Assembly was to the Eisteddfod in Flintshire. I think it was a great experience for many of us, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. Can I say that one of the things we’re looking at doing is investing in programmes such as Cymraeg for Kids, which are there to support and sustain the use and acquisition of the language, not by individual children but by families, and that the role of parents is absolutely essential to that, both when parents feel uncomfortable with a child acquiring and using the language, which might not have been used in the home before, but also then sustaining and enabling the parent to enjoy the children’s education, to feel comfortable in what the children are learning, to help with homework and to support the child’s developing language needs and language acquisition. So, I hope that the Cymraeg for Kids programme will sustain and support the use of Welsh, both amongst the children themselves but amongst the family as a whole. I hope, if we are able to do that, then we will achieve far more than simply providing educational opportunities for the children but also a much richer cultural experience for the family as a whole.