Welsh: Law to help all Wales' pupils speak confidently by 2050

A new law will help all pupils in Wales become confident Welsh speakers by 2050, the Welsh government has said.

Proposals for a new Welsh Medium Education Bill have been published by Labour ministers and Plaid Cymru.

Plaid Cymru said it set the foundation for every pupil to have Welsh-medium education.

But campaigners have warned of a "danger that the targets are too low, the aim too vague, and the actions insufficient".

Proposals include reflecting the target of one million Welsh speakers by 2050 in law as well as giving legal status to the language categories for schools.

The aim is to increase Welsh language provision within English-medium schools and also to increase the number of schools in the Welsh-medium category.

There is also a proposal to establish a clear system to describe language skill levels so that everyone has a common understanding of Welsh skills, including employers.

Enabling all pupils to leave school as a "confident speaker" would mean having the ability to work through the medium of Welsh.

A consultation will be open until 16 June, and the Welsh government has pledged to introduce a Welsh Education Bill before the end of the parliamentary term.

The Minister for Education and Welsh Language Jeremy Miles said the government was "committed to a future where everyone has the ability and opportunity to use Welsh in their everyday lives".

Other proposals include requirements on local authorities to promote Welsh-medium education, a national plan by ministers which would include targets for the recruitment of Welsh-medium teachers and a commitment to conduct a study looking at accelerating the growth of Welsh-medium education.

Plaid Cymru MS Cefin Campbell said the proposals go "further towards ensuring that our education system delivers Welsh to all pupils in a way that creates confident speakers" and where Welsh-medium provision is normalised.

"The proposals offer a foundation towards an education system that delivers Welsh-medium education for all pupils," he said.

Language campaigners Cymdeithas yr Iaith described the White Paper as "an important step forward".

However, it said the final law should include "ambitious statutory targets in terms of developing the Welsh-language education workforce and increasing the number of children receiving Welsh-medium education".

Welsh Conservative shadow minister for the Welsh language, Samuel Kurtz MS, said: "It's important that parental choice is included in the Labour-Plaid Cymru plans and that we have enough teachers able to teach their subjects well through the medium of Welsh."

A Welsh Language Education Bill is a pledge in the co-operation agreement between the government and Plaid Cymru, but the First Minister Mark Drakeford and Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price clashed over Welsh language education last December.

In the Senedd chamber, Mr Drakeford said "compulsory education for everybody through the medium of Welsh" was not the answer to growing the language.