University of Strathclyde's Commitment to Gaelic Language and Culture in Scotland, Schemes and Mind Maps of English

Download University of Strathclyde's Commitment to Gaelic Language and Culture in Scotland and more Schemes and Mind Maps English in PDF only on Docsity! st OP Strathclyde Glasgow University of Strathclyde GAELIC LANGUAGE PLAN 2020-2025 DRAFT  2 Foreword As Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Strathclyde I am pleased to present our first Gaelic Language Plan for 2020-2025. The University of Strathclyde is committed to the aspirations and objectives set out in the National Plan for Gaelic and the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 and has identified commitments and allocated responsibilities for ensuring that Strathclyde plays an active part in the future sustainability of the Gaelic language and culture in Scotland. From our foundation as a place of useful learning, we take it as our responsibility to research, teach and be of benefit to society – to reach outside the University to make the world better educated, prosperous, healthy, fair and secure. Our collective vision and ambition for Strathclyde is of a socially progressive, leading international technological university inspired by its founding mission as ‘the place of useful learning’, that makes a positive difference to the lives of its students, to society and to the world. Our reputation and influence is global, yet we are an institution firmly grounded in the heart of Glasgow, contributing to the social, cultural and economic life of Scotland through the presence of a vibrant, international student community, as a major employer and by proactive engagement with the city leadership to drive Glasgow’s growth. The University of Strathclyde supports the city and region in being modern and multicultural, a focus of opportunity and achievement, cultural and sporting excellence. Our contribution to the city’s sustainable economic and social growth positions our institution as a natural partner for our civic and commercial leaders and echoes our traditional strengths and connectivity with the city. We take pride in our place at the heart of the City of Glasgow. Taking our character from our home, we are dedicated to the principle that the world should flow through the University and not around it - the University of Strathclyde is not a place apart. Glasgow’s history is one of radicalism and intellectual vigour; of industry, enterprise and international trade. We take seriously our responsibilities to help the city and region and to provide opportunities for the local community to study and work with us. Part of our commitment as a leading Scottish university is supporting Scotland’s history and national identity. We also recognise Strathclyde’s essential role in public life and the local community, and we will continue to support the development of the Gaelic language. The University of Strathclyde has a unique position in Scotland as the first and principal provider of initial teacher education and professional development for primary and secondary Gaelic teachers and teachers working in Gaelic medium schools. We introduced Gaelic Initial Teacher Education and have retained our prominent status by extending and increasing our offer to include Primary Education and Gaelic Medium provision for all subjects in our PGDE portfolio. Our plan describes how the University will maintain and build on this tradition and will contribute to the future of the Gaelic language in Scotland through teaching, research and knowledge exchange activities. 5 Glasgow is an important centre of activity for the promotion of Gaelic, language and culture. The city is home to a number of organisations listed below as well as hosting both the Piping World Championships and the Celtic Connections international festival annually. Organisations and establishments based or represented in Glasgow include: • An Lochran – an organisation promoting Gaelic arts and language • Bòrd na Gàidhlig • Comhairle nan Leabhraichean- The Gaelic Books Council • Iomairt Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu – Glasgow Gaelic Initiative • Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu – Glasgow Gaelic School The University supports Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s identification of Glasgow as an important area for the development and enhancement of the Gaelic language and culture and will continue to support this objective through the extension of our outreach activities through the Centre for Lifelong Learning. We will also continue to play our part to support the increasing demand for Gaelic medium education at school level in Glasgow through interactions between the School of Education, the 3-18 Gaelic Medium Campus and the City of Glasgow Council. In recent years, the numbers of fluent Gaelic speakers and those learning the language in the city have increased. Both the development of Gaelic-medium education and the opening of Scotland's first Gaelic-medium secondary school in 2006 mean that the number of younger people using Gaelic in the city continues to grow. Currently, the University does not maintain information on the number of members of staff able to speak, read or understand Gaelic. As our plan indicates we intend to investigate how best to establish base line information about levels of usage of Gaelic amongst staff as part of a wider exercise to identify proficiency in languages other than English amongst staff at Strathclyde. Our most recent language survey of all our students identified that 64% of respondents were able to use a language other than English. Of 2,764 respondents, 51 reported that they had some competence in Gaelic, and 26 reported that, other than English, they felt most competent in Gaelic. The University is partly funded by the Scottish Funding Council and the University works with and supports the Council’s plans, along with those of the University’s other key funders, i.e. UK Research Councils, UK Government, industrial partners, etc. The University supports the aim of the Scottish Funding Council to help the colleges and universities it provides funds to, to promote and market existing Gaelic provision. We also support SFC’s “aspiration to increase the availability and uptake of Gaelic learning opportunities in the college sector over the period of this Plan” (Scottish Funding Council Gaelic Language Plan, December 2009). Indeed, this is reflected and reported to SFC through our annual reporting and outcome agreements. In developing the Plan, the University notes that funding available from the Scottish Government, via the Scottish Funding Council to support the learning and teaching of Gaelic, for the public sector and for higher and further education, has recently been reduced. The Council indicates that their priorities for this funding would be for supporting classes with small cohorts and for immersion opportunities in both sectors, but they recognise with a move to more outcome driven funding may mean a change to supporting Gaelic. It is also noted that the Scottish Funding Council is working with the University, the University of Edinburgh and the University of the Highlands and Islands as the providers of Gaelic/Gaelic-medium teacher education, to reconfigure Gaelic teacher education in 6 Scotland. It is recommended that this section gives the reader a brief overview of Gaelic in Scotland today, in terms of overall numbers and distribution of speakers. The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act (2005) The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 was passed by the Scottish Parliament with a view to securing the status of the Gaelic language as an official language of Scotland commanding equal respect to the English language. One of the key features of the 2005 Act is the provision enabling Bòrd na Gàidhlig to require a public authority to prepare a Gaelic language plan. This provision was designed to ensure that the public sector in Scotland plays its part in creating a sustainable future for Gaelic by raising the status and profile of the language and creating practical opportunities for its use. This document is The University of Strathclyde’s Gaelic Language Plan prepared within the framework of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005. It sets out how we will use Gaelic in the operation of our functions, how we will enable the use of Gaelic when communicating with the public and key partners, and how we will promote and develop Gaelic. The University of Strathclyde’s Gaelic Language Plan has been prepared in accordance with statutory criteria set out in the 2005 Act and having regard to the National Gaelic Language Plan and the Guidance on the Development of Gaelic Language Plan. The National Gaelic Language Plan University of Strathclyde supports the aim of the National Gaelic Language Plan 2018-23 that “Gaelic is used more often, by more people and in a wider range of situations.” We are committed to the achieving this aim by focussing our work, on these four headings: • Maintaining our status as a leading provider of Gaelic / Gaelic Medium teacher education. • Increasing the use of Gaelic within our organisation and encouraging more people to use Gaelic, more often when they interact with us • Increasing the opportunity for people to learn Gaelic as part of our day-to-day operations • Promoting a positive image of Gaelic whenever we can as part of our day-to-day operations as an organisation Internal Gaelic Capacity Audit The results of our most recent survey of students indicated that there is limited Gaelic capacity within the student population. We will work with our partners in Strath Union (the University’s students’ association) to identify opportunities to periodically assess Gaelic capacity within the student body and explore potential contributions students can make to our Gaelic capacity. The University is periodically reviews and develops the data it holds about staff to ensure that such data supports our compliance obligations under equalities legislation, data protection and employment and immigration requirements. We currently do not routinely collect information about 7 language capacity from new staff. Alongside our review of student capacity we will explore the establishment of a voluntary register of Gaelic speaking staff who are able to support the University’s commitments within this plan. Consultation on the Draft Gaelic Language Plan This plan has been reviewed by the University’s Education Strategy Committee which has representation from across all four faculties, Strath Union and Professional Services Directorates. This version reflects the comments and feedback received from this University-wide strategic group. Key Principles Equal Respect The University of Strathclyde will ensure that where Gaelic is included as part of our operations and services, we will ensure they are of an equal standard and quality as those that we provide in English. Active Offer University of Strathclyde will make an active offer of our Gaelic services to our employees, students and the public. This will ensure that where Gaelic services are made available by us, Gaelic users are made aware of their existence, and are actively encouraged to use them. This will take the responsibility away from the individual to ask for the service and will give Gaelic users the confidence to know that their needs will be met if that is their choice. We will endeavour to ensure that our Gaelic language services are as accessible as our English language services. Mainstreaming University of Strathclyde will ensure that opportunities for the public and our staff to use Gaelic are promoted, in support of the National Gaelic Language Plan 2019-23 aim that Gaelic is used more often, by more people and in a wider range of situations 10 Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) Gaelic Provision Strathclyde is the country’s leading provider of Gaelic and Gaelic medium teacher education. All Gaelic and Gaelic medium PGDE courses are predominantly taught through the medium of Gaelic with submissions and assessments at Masters level being submitted in Gaelic. We are the only provider offering a GME qualification in secondary subjects through the medium of Gaelic, establishing our course as not just a leading provider but also the only provider currently responding to national demand of GME secondary qualified graduates. Strathclyde is actively preparing a qualified teaching workforce for current and planned Gaelic Medium schools. We offer the following courses on or teacher training programmes for graduates: 1. PGDE Primary (Gaelic Medium) 2. PGDE Gaelic (Secondary) 3. PGDE (Subject) (Secondary) through the medium of Gaelic. https://www.strath.ac.uk/courses/postgraduatetaught/secondaryeducationgaelic/ https://www.teagasg.com/en/becoming-a-gaelic-teacher/post-graduate-courses/primary- courses/university-of-strathclyde https://www.teagasg.com/en/becoming-a-gaelic-teacher/post-graduate-courses/secondary- courses/ Gaelic Immersion for Teachers (GIfT) PG Diploma This course targeted qualified primary and secondary teachers who have an intermediate level of Gaelic and who sought to transfer to Gaelic-medium education. However, the course ran for five years (2013-2019) but is not currently in operation. The main funding came from the Scottish Government, via Bòrd na Gàidhlig. Strathclyde remains open to participation in any future GiFT development should the programme, or an appropriate successor, be established. Promoting a Positive Image of Gaelic High-level Aim To promote the use and image of the Gaelic language at the University of Strathclyde Proposed Outcome Approval, implementation and development of the Gaelic Language Plan. Current Practice No dedicated activity or oversight at present. Actions Required Establish a Gaelic Language Steering Group (GLSG) Target Date TBC once GLP is agreed by the University and Bòrd na Gàidhlig Responsibility Deputy Associate Principal (Learning and Teaching) 11 Corporate Service Aims Desired Outcome Establish a standing Gaelic Language Steering Group (GLSG) Current Practice No current working group in existence Actions Required Establishment of group; terms of reference, operations and membership Target Date TBC once GLP is agreed by the University and Bòrd na Gàidhlig Responsibility Deputy Associate Principal (Learning and Teaching) Desired Outcome Logo and brand Develop a Gaelic version of the corporate logo to be used when relevant. Current Practice We do not currently have logo and branding in Gaelic Actions Required Consideration of development of logo and brand in Gaelic Target Date TBC once GLP is agreed by the University and Bòrd na Gàidhlig Responsibility Marketing and Communications Communicating with the Public Desired Outcome Promotion Positive message that communication from the public in Gaelic is always welcome. Current Practice Not covered. Actions Required Standard email signature text to be developed and made available for staff to use if they chose to do so. Target Date TBC once GLP is agreed by the University and Bòrd na Gàidhlig Responsibility GLSG Desired Outcome Public meetings Opportunities to hold some public meetings and relevant events bilingually or in Gaelic are regularly explored and promoted. Current Practice Consideration is given to bilingual or Gaelic meetings where appropriate. For example, Open days for Gaelic / Gaelic Medium Teacher Education programmes and “in service” activities. Actions Required Adjust guidance to staff to include information on Gaelic and bilingual provision for meetings. Target Date TBC once GLP is agreed by the University and Bòrd na Gàidhlig Responsibility Promotion of events through the School of Education and CLL. 12 Information Desired Outcome News releases News releases related to Gaelic are circulated in both English and Gaelic. Current Practice No existing provision Actions Required Establish a process whereby key Gaelic related press releases are circulated in both Gaelic and English (e.g. launch of GLP) Target Date Linked to full approval of GLP Responsibility COMMS to Comment Desired Outcome Corporate Publications Publications relating to our Gaelic medium teacher education will be available bilingually Current Practice This is currently in operation. Actions Required Continue current practice Target Date Ongoing Responsibility School of Education Staff Desired Outcome Induction Knowledge of the public authority’s Gaelic language plan included in new staff inductions Current Practice No provision currently in place. Actions Required Development of statement / information for inclusion in Staff Inductions. Target Date TBC once GLP is agreed by the University and Bòrd na Gàidhlig Responsibility GLSG and University’s Organisation and Staff Development Unit (OSDU). Desired Outcome Language training Staff will be able to apply for subsidised places on our Centre for Lifelong Learning Gaelic daytime and summer courses. Staff can also be directed to self-directed study options. Current Practice No subsidy currently available Actions Required Budget allocation and advertisement to staff Target Date TBC once GLP is agreed by the University and Bòrd na Gàidhlig Responsibility GLSG to coordinate with CLL 15 The Gaelic Language Plan in the Public Authority Overall Responsibility for the Plan The Deputy Associate Principal (Learning and Teaching) has overall responsibility for preparation, delivery and monitoring of the University of Strathclyde’s Gaelic Language Plan. They can be contacted as follows: - NAME: Brian Green POSITION: Deputy Associate Principal (Learning and Teaching) NAME OF ORGANISATION: University of Strathclyde ADDRESS: Senior Officers Suite, Royal College Building, 204 George Street, Glasgow, G1 1XW TELEPHONE NUMBER: 0141 548 4319 E-MAIL ADDRESS: b.green@strath.ac.uk Day to day Responsibility for the Plan The Head of the School of Education has day-to-day responsibility for the delivery and monitoring of the University of Strathclyde’s Gaelic Language Plan. Queries regarding the day-to-day operation of the plan should be addressed to: NAME: Linda Brownlow POSITION: Head of School of Education DEPARTMENT: School of Education NAME OF ORGANISATION: University of Strathclyde ADDRESS: Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, Lord Hope Building, 141 St James Road, Glasgow G4 0LT TELEPHONE NUMBER: 0141 444 8193 E-MAIL ADDRESS: linda.brownlow@strath.ac.uk 16 Gaelic language Plan: Gaelic Language Steering Group To ensure that the Gaelic language plan is embedded across the University of Strathclyde we will establish a Gaelic Language Steering Group (GLSG), consisting of staff from across the university with responsibility for developing, implementing and monitoring different aspects of the plan. The Gaelic Language Steering Group is the key forum for oversight and monitoring of the University’s Gaelic Language Plan and related activity. Gaelic Language Steering Group: Terms of Reference 1. To monitor the development and implementation of the University’s Gaelic Language Plan. 2. To provide an annual report on the University’s Gaelic Language Plan to the Education Strategy Committee. 3. To contribute to the preparation of Gaelic language related reporting for the University’s Outcome Agreement with the Scottish Funding Council. 4. To have oversight of institutional Gaelic Language focused activity (existing and planned). 5. To monitor the offer and uptake of Gaelic Language classes for staff and students. 6. To consider the implications of any Gaelic Language statutory and regulatory for the University. 7. To review documentation and other public information produced for students and other stakeholders and make appropriate recommendations. 8. To meet annually with Bòrd na Gàidhlig staff to review progress relative to the Gaelic Language Plan and to receive and share relevant updates and information. Gaelic Language Steering Group: Operations 1. The Gaelic Language Steering Group shall meet at least four time per year in the first instance. 2. Meetings will be organized and supported by the office of the Deputy Associate Principal (Learning and Teaching). 3. The Gaelic Language Steering Group will report, in the first instance to the Education Strategy Committee. Reports to other groups and committees will be provided as requested. 17 Gaelic Language Steering Group: Membership Rationale for Representation Membership Convener Brian Green; (Deputy Associate Principal; Learning & Teaching) or nominee. Academic Provision Head of the School of Education or nominee. (Vice Convener) Gaelic Teacher Education Member of the Gaelic / Gaelic Medium Teacher Education team. Language Class Provision Head of the Centre for Lifelong Learning or nominee. Education Enhancement Member of the Education Enhancement Team. Student Experience Support and Wellbeing Manager, Student Support and Development. Strath Union Member of the Strath Union Student Executive. Information and Communications Member of the Marketing and Communications team with responsibility for public information provision. SFC Reporting Member of the Strategy and Policy Directorate with responsibility for SFC Outcome Agreement reporting. By Invitation Other members of University staff may be invited to contribute to the discussions as appropriate.