Objective of reaching a million Welsh audio system doubtful, new report warns

The Welsh authorities’s goal of hitting a million Welsh audio system by 2050 is doubtful, in response to a brand new report.

A Senedd committee has stated the aim won’t be reached except there’s a “substantial increase” within the variety of lecturers who can converse the language.

The Senedd’s communication, tradition, Welsh language, sport and worldwide relations committee discovered there was a scarcity of employees to assist progress in Welsh-medium faculties.

The committee’s report additionally famous a scarcity of Welsh-medium instructing in English-medium schooling.

Census figures launched final 12 months confirmed there had been a lower within the variety of folks in Wales who converse Welsh since 2011.

The Welsh language commissioner, Efa Gruffudd Jones, advised Sky News in February that she would “do everything” to help reach a million speakers.

There have been 24,000 Welsh audio system fewer in 2021 than in 2011.

The figures launched in December confirmed 538,000 folks aged three and over who dwell in Wales can converse Welsh, 17.8% of the nation’s inhabitants.

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Chair of the committee, Delyth Jewell, stated the dearth of enhance within the variety of Welsh audio system “should concern us deeply”.

“Welsh is a language that belongs to all of us in Wales and it should concern us deeply that the number of speakers isn’t increasing,” Ms Jewell stated.

“This committee is supportive of the target of one million Welsh speakers by 2050, but that ambition is in serious jeopardy if things continue as they are.”

Speaking of the report’s findings, the chair stated “more teachers should be encouraged to learn Welsh”.

“We should also recognise that the linguistic map of Wales is quite varied and that a one-size fits all approach might not always work.”

Sky News has contacted the Welsh authorities for remark.