MoD Allocates Large Sums on Independent Education to Bypass Welsh Language Education
The Ministry of Defence spends approximately £1m annually to place students to independent schools in north Wales because "public schools teach various classes in the Welsh tongue".
It paid £1,019,000 in day school allowance in north Wales for 83 children of military families in the current academic year, and £942,000 for 79 children in the previous year under a established practice.
A spokesperson said "military families' children can experience frequent moves" and the stipend "seeks to minimize disruption to their schooling".
The Welsh party called it a "total misuse of funds" and "an insult to our language" while the Tory party argued families should be able to choose the medium in which their kids are educated.
The figures were acquired following a inquiry under the public records law.
The website of the military installation on Anglesey tells its personnel, "for those residing and working in northern Wales, where public schools teach some or all classes in the Welsh language, you may choose to enroll your children to an English-medium independent school".
"As long as you are joined by your family at your posting, you can utilize this allowance to cover the cost of school charges, educational excursions/residential learning programs and daily transport."
An MoD spokesperson explained, "the aim of Day School Allowance in the northern region (the allowance) is to assist military households stationed to the area, where the Welsh tongue is the main language of local state education".
"Since relocation is a part of service life, military kids can encounter frequent moves and the this allowance aims to minimize disruption to their education."
"The MoD supports the contributions military members, and their families undertake, and from the stipend assists with the costs of independent day schooling provided in English."
'Where teaching is bilingual or non-English'
The benefit covers school costs up to a limit of twenty-two thousand seven hundred fifty-five pounds annually, £7,585 each semester, and is accessible to personnel living in the counties of Conwy, Denbighshire, the locality, the island or Flintshire and serving in one of the following establishments:
- RAF Valley, the island
- Joint Services Mountain Training Centre, the island
- The joint military mountain unit, Llanrwst
- Wales University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), Bangor detachment, Caernarfon
The qualifying independent institutions are Treffos school, the village, the island; Rydal Penrhos Prep school in Colwyn Bay; St Gerard's, the city and St David's College, the town.
The relevant joint service publication states that "payment of the stipend is limited to those areas where instruction in the public system is on a bilingual or non-English foundation".
People serving elsewhere in the three branches of the military - the ground forces, the Royal Navy and the air service - can apply for a continuity of education allowance which contributes towards residential and/or tuition fees up to a cap, with a required family share of 10% for each qualifying student.
Tory Senedd member the politician said "personnel of the British armed forces relocate across the country and the world, and the MoD have always sought to guarantee that their kids have access to continuity in schooling".
"While we fully support Welsh-medium education throughout the country, it's crucial to recognize there are dual recognized tongues in our nation, English and Welsh, and municipal authorities and education authorities should provide for each."
"Parents should always have the option to decide the language in which their kids are taught."
Plaid Cymru's education spokesperson the assembly member stated "not just is this a total misuse of funding, it is an insult to our tongue".
"It's hard to imagine any valid reason to be spending these funds annually, on blocking young people residing in Wales from having the chance to learn the Welsh tongue."
"Bilingualism enhances life and aids the development of youth, but the British administration is clearly blind to this."
"This money is a perfect example of the approach of the Westminster parties towards the nation and the Welsh language - namely unawareness and disrespect."
