[lg policy] Scotland: Holyrood launches drive to promote Scots language

[Harold Schiffman]

 Holyrood launches drive to promote Scots language
[image: Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland's Languages Alasdair
Allan launched the policy document today. Picture: Greg Macvean]
Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland's Languages Alasdair Allan
launched the policy document today. Picture: Greg Macvean
TOM PETERKIN
21:23Thursday 10 September 2015

*A DRIVE to promote the Scots language has been launched by the Scottish
Government “tae encourage ye aw te recognise the valuable heritage we hae
in the Scots leid”.*

A series of steps to raise the language’s profile has been announced,
including the quango Education Scotland adopting trilingual corporate
signage so that messages are written in English, Gaelic and Scots.

It is a predictable stunt from the government Alex Johnstone

A national Scots Language Policy sets out a range of actions, which will be
taken forward by Education Scotland’s Scots language co-ordinators.

According to a policy document launched by languages minister Alasdair
Allan at Education Scotland’s “Scots in Schools” conference in Stirling,
the co-ordinators will provide templates and suggestions for the quango’s
staff who wish to sign off emails in Scots or include appropriate Scots
greetings.

They will develop resources to enable teachers to “confidently and
creatively engage” with Scots, working with such partners as Historic
Environment Scotland, the National Library of Scotland and Glasgow
University.

Education Scotland will inform parents about the place of Scots in the
Curriculum for Excellence through its e-bulletins and face-to-face
presentations.

The quango has also said it will develop a Scots language ambassadors
scheme, which sees well known people such as the author James Robertson and
the children’s group Singing Kettle sign up to become champions of Scots.

The ambassadors scheme is to be linked to a new Scots scriever residency at
the National Library of Scotland, which has been filled by the poet and
playwright Hamish MacDonald.


Currently, the Scottish Government spends a total of £270,000 on funding
Scottish language dictionaries (SLD) and the Scots Language Centre (SLC).

The government said the latest Scots language push would not require extra
cash.

But the plans were criticised by the Scottish Tory MSP Alex Johnstone said:
“This a predictable stunt from a Scottish Government more interested in
pandering to patriots than improving education.

“When it could be trying to push Scotland’s schools up global league
tables, or closing the attainment gap, it’s actually trying to stir up the
constitution in any way it can.

“It’s been well proven that our school children would benefit far more from
learning international languages which could open all kinds of doors for
them.

“That should be the focus of Scottish Government resources, not this.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “There was no increase in funding
for these plans.

“The Scottish Government takes the preservation and promotion of all three
of Scotland’s historical indigenous languages seriously and this new policy
underpins the Scottish Government’s commitment to Scots.”

Read more:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/holyrood-launches-drive-to-promote-scots-language-1-3883171#ixzz3lRXbG5fX


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