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National Plan for Gaelic
Executive Summary

Gaelic is a unique part of Scotland’s national heritage. It belongs to the people and it is our responsibility as a nation to maintain its existence in a modern, multilingual Scotland.

Why a National Plan? (Page 9)

The position of Gaelic in Scotland is fragile. If it is to have a sustainable future, there needs to be co-ordination of effort and direction of resources towards those actions which will best support the language. The National Plan for Gaelic is designed to address this issue, and its development is a statutory duty placed on Bòrd na Gàidhlig by the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005.

What does it aim to do? (Pages 9 - 11)

Ultimately, the National Plan for Gaelic aims to secure the status of Gaelic in Scotland.

The biggest challenge is the continuing decline in the overall number of people who speak Gaelic. In 1881, there were over a quarter of a million Gaelic speakers in Scotland, representing almost 7% of the population. According to the 2001 Census there were 58,652 Gaelic speakers aged three or over in Scotland, representing 1.2% of the country’s population. This figure is down from over 65,978 Gaelic speakers recorded in 1991. An immediate priority is to take measures that will keep the total number of Gaelic speakers at a steady, sustainable level, to help build for the future.

How will it achieve this? (Pages 12 - 35)

In order to achieve this vision we need to see progress in four areas of life, the home, the community, place of learning, the workplace.

This will include:

• an increasing number of Gaelic speakers and learners making Gaelic their language of preference in the home, community and workplace
• an increasing number of people participating in Gaelic activities
• increasing availability, uptake, continuity and development of Gaelic-medium and Gaelic-learner education to facilitate lifelong learning
• the number of Gaelic speakers in Scotland beginning to stabilise
• increasingly, equal respect being accorded to Gaelic and English

The National Plan sets out the steps which can be taken to make these aspirations a reality, and its development has been informed by four well established and inter-related language planning principles which have guided other situations of minority language development:

• 'Acquisition planning' – ensures the language is passed on through the family and  through education
• 'Usage planning' – motivates people and provides them with more opportunities to use the language
• 'Status planning' – addresses the image of the language and how it is seen within institutions
• 'Corpus planning' – develops a standardised  language which is popular, well-used and relevant

What will Bòrd na Gàidhlig do to make this happen? (Pages 37 – 43)

Amongst other things we will initiate action to:

• implement a national publicity campaign aimed at promoting a positive image for Gaelic in Scotland
• establish a funding scheme to provide support for those seeking to improve and develop their Gaelic language skills
• develop and introduce an annual awards programme which will recognise achievement in the acquisition and use of Gaelic in the home, community and workplace
• issue notices to about 10 relevant public authorities requesting statutory Gaelic Language Plans
• work with employers and appropriate bodies to actively promote the use of Gaelic in the workplace
• provide Gaelic planning advice and examples of good practice with regard to Gaelic use in the private and voluntary sector
• launch a campaign to promote the use and transmission of Gaelic in the home
• implement a review of Gaelic childcare and early years provision to clarify existing provision, identify gaps and make recommendations for improving provision

Who else is involved? (Throughout)

Central to delivery of the development actions identified in the National Plan for Gaelic will be partnership working between Bòrd na Gàidhlig and other bodies.

We will use our development funding to support the implementation of actions identified in the National Plan. In this, we will work in collaboration with a range of Gaelic groups and other bodies that have the skills and expertise to make progress in action areas.

Of particular importance in delivering our vision for Gaelic is the proactive engagement of all types of bodies – public, private, voluntary, Gaelic, non-Gaelic and government.

The ultimate success of the National Plan will depend on individual speakers and supporters of Gaelic using the language more frequently and in all aspects of daily life, and in particular seizing upon the greater opportunities to use Gaelic that the development of public body language plans will create.

How will success be measured? (Pages 44 - 45)

Bòrd na Gàidhlig will monitor implementation of the development actions identified in the National Plan. We will do this by reviewing our own actions, by monitoring the activities of bodies with which we have developed formal partnerships, and by seeking information from other bodies on steps which they have taken to adopt the development actions we have identified in the National Plan.

National Gaelic Education Strategy (Pages 46 - 61)

During the passage of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 Minister for Education and Young People, Peter Peacock MSP, requested that Bòrd na Gàidhlig prepare a detailed National Gaelic Education Strategy as part of the National Plan for Gaelic.

The Strategy provides strategic, coordinated guidance on the development of Gaelic education in Scotland. It sets out a comprehensive development programme that is dependent on the support of the Scottish Executive, local authorities, Gaelic organisations and public bodies. Through effective partnership working we aim to achieve its key objective of expanding the momentum of growth of Gaelic education and ultimately, increasing the number of Gaelic speakers.