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Dros 400 o addysgwyr yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i ollwng gorfodaeth o Saesneg o Fil y Cwricwlwm
Mae 407 o weithwyr a chyn weithwyr addysg wedi llofnodi llythyr agored at y Gweinidog Addysg, Kirsty Williams AS, yn galw arni i ollwng gorfodaeth o Saesneg o Fil y Cwricwlwm. Mae’r llofnodwyr yn cynnwys athrawon, penaethiaid, llywodraethwyr, academyddion a chynorthwywyr dosbarth o bob rhan o Gymru.
Mae’r Bil, fydd yn cael ei gyflwyno i’r Senedd heddiw (Gorffennaf 8), yn gwneud Saesneg yn elfen orfodol o’r cwricwlwm ar wyneb y ddeddfwriaeth. Bydd gofyn i gyrff llywodraethu ysgolion ‘optio allan’ fesul un o wneud Saesneg yn orfodol cyn 7 oed yn eu hysgol nhw os ydyn nhw am weithredu’r cyfnod trochi i sicrhau rhuglder plant yn y Gymraeg.
Daw’r llythyr ar ôl i sawl corff, yn cynnwys Mudiad Meithrin, Rhieni dros Addysg Gymraeg a Chymdeithas yr Iaith, fynegi pryderon am y cynlluniau. Mae’r llythyr yn dweud:
“Byddai system lle mae’n rhaid i ysgolion Cymraeg geisio am eithriad i beidio â chyflwyno’r Saesneg cyn 7 oed, ond nid oes rhaid i ysgolion Saesneg wneud dim, yn sefydlu’r syniad taw rhywbeth ymylol, anarferol neu eithriadol ydy addysg Gymraeg, a Saesneg ydy cyfrwng normadol addysg yng Nghymru. Byddai’n enghraifft glir o drin ysgolion Cymraeg yn llai ffafriol nag ysgolion Saesneg.”
Noda’r llythyr nad yw’r Llywodraeth wedi cyflwyno “unrhyw dystiolaeth na chyfiawnhad addysgol” dros gyfiawnhau gwneud Saesneg yn orfodol yn y Bil, ac nad oes “yr un arbenigwr na rhanddeiliad argymell hyn yn ystod y gwaith ymgynghori.” Mae’r llythyr yn dadlau “[nad] oes angen gorfodaeth ddeddfwriaethol i sicrhau bod disgyblion yn rhugl yn Saesneg” ac y byddai’n “cael effaith negyddol ar ethos ac arferion ysgolion a chyd-destunau addysg eraill lle mae eisoes yn frwydr i sicrhau mai'r Gymraeg yw'r norm.”
Ychwanega’r llythyr mai “hanes o orfod brwydro dros ei chydnabyddiaeth a’i datblygiad ydy hanes addysg Gymraeg. Ond mae hefyd yn hanes o bobl yn arloesi a chydweithio er mwyn cynnal etifeddiaeth unigryw i genedlaethau o blant. Nid ydym am weld Bil y Cwricwlwm yn troi’r cloc yn ôl ac achosi brwydro pellach dros addysg Gymraeg ar lefel ysgolion a chymunedau . . . Nid eithriad i’r norm ydy addysg Gymraeg ond rhywbeth i’w dathlu, ei chofleidio a’i thyfu.”
Meddai Mabli Siriol, Cadeirydd Grŵp Addysg Cymdeithas yr Iaith:
“Mae’r llythyr yma’n dangos bod yr arbenigwyr — y rhai sy’n gweithio ym maes addysg — yn gwybod y byddai gwneud Saesneg yn elfen orfodol o’r Cwricwlwm yn niweidio addysg Gymraeg ac yn rhwystro ei thwf ar draws y wlad.
Nid yw’r Llywodraeth wedi cynnig dim un darn o dystiolaeth addysgol dros wneud Saesneg yn elfen orfodol o’r Cwricwlwm, ac ni wnaeth unrhyw gorff neu arbenigwr argymell hyn. Yr unig reswm mae’r Llywodraeth wedi rhoi yw bod Cymru’n genedl ddwyieithog, ond nid yw’r ddwy iaith ar sail gyfartal ac ni fyddai unrhyw ddeddfwriaeth synhwyrol yn eu trin fel petaen nhw. Y Gymraeg sydd angen cefnogaeth ddeddfwriaethol, nid Saesneg."
Ychwanegodd:
“Os ydyn ni am gyrraedd y miliwn a gwireddu hawl pob plentyn i’n hiaith yna deddf addysg Gymraeg newydd fydd yn gwneud addysg Gymraeg yn norm ym mhob rhan o’r wlad sydd angen, yn lle’r cynnig niweidiol hwn fydd yn troi’r cloc yn ôl.
Does dim rheswm dros wneud Saesneg yn orfodol ac mae’n bryd i’r Llywodraeth wrando ar athrawon, arbenigwyr a’r cyhoedd a gwyrdroi’r cynlluniau ffôl hyn.”
DIWEDD
NODIADAU:
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Mae Cymdeithas yr Iaith yn gymdeithas o bobol sy'n gweithredu'n ddi-drais dros y Gymraeg a chymunedau Cymru fel rhan o'r chwyldro rhyngwladol dros hawliau a rhyddid.
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Over 400 educators call on the Welsh Government to drop the enforcement of English from the Curriculum Bill
407 workers and former workers in the education sector have signed an open letter to the Education Minister, Kirsty Williams MS, calling on her to drop the enforcement of English from the Curriculum Bill. The signatories include teachers, head teachers, governors, classroom assistants and academics from all parts of Wales.
The Bill, which will be presented to the Senedd today (July 8), will make English a compulsory element of the curriculum on the face of the Bill. School governing boards will be required to ‘opt out’ of making English compulsory before the age of 7 in their school if they are to implement the Welsh-medium immersion period in order to ensure that their pupils become fluent in the language.
The letter comes after several organisations, including Mudiad Meithrin, Rhieni dros Addysg Gymraeg and Cymdeithas yr Iaith raised concerns about the plans. The letter states:
“A system in which Welsh-medium schools must apply for an exemption to introducing English before the age of 7, but English-medium schools don’t have to do anything, would establish the idea that Welsh-medium education is somehow marginal, unusual or abnormal and that English-medium education is the normative medium of education in Wales. It would be a clear example of treating Welsh-medium schools less favourably than English-medium schools.”
The letter notes that the Government has not produced “any educational evidence or justification” for making English compulsory in the Bill, and that “not a single expert or stakeholder recommended this during the consultation period.” The letter argues that “there is no need for legislative enforcement to ensure that pupils are fluent in English.” and that it “would have a negative impact on the ethos and practice of schools and other educational contexts where it is already a struggle to make Welsh the norm as a medium of learning and communication.”
The letter adds that “the history of Welsh-medium education is a history of having to fight for its recognition and development. But it it also a history of people innovating and working together in order to maintain this unique legacy for generations of children. We do not want to see the Curriculum Bill turning the clock back and leading to a situation in which further battles have to be fought for Welsh-medium education in schools and in communities . . . Welsh-medium education is not an exception to the norm, but is rather something that we should celebrate, embrace and help to grow.”
Mabli Siriol, Chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Education Group, commented:
“This letter shows that the experts — those who work in education — know that making English a compulsory element of the Curriculum would harm Welsh-medium education and prevent its growth across the country.
The Government has not offered a single piece of educational evidence to justify making English a compulsory element of the Curriculum, and not one organisation or expert has recommended this. The only reason given by the Government is that Wales is a bilingual nation, and while this is certainly true, the two languages are not on an equal footing and no sensible legislation would treat them as if they were. It is the Welsh language that needs legislative support, not English.
She added:
“If we are to reach the target of a million Welsh speakers and realise the right of every child to our language, then what we need is a new Welsh-medium Education Act that makes Welsh-medium education the norm in every part of the country, not these harmful plans that would turn the clock back.
There is no reason why English should be mandatory and it is about time that the Government listens to teachers, experts and the public, and drops these nonsensical plans.”
ENDS
NOTES:
1. Cymdeithas yr Iaith is a society of people taking non-violent direct action for the Welsh language and Wales’s communities, as part of the worldwide revolution for rights and freedom.
2. The full letter to the Education Minister and list of signatories is available here.