MoD Spends Large Sums on Independent Education to Bypass Welsh Teaching
The MoD spends approximately £1m each year to send children to independent educational institutions in northern Wales because "public schools teach some or all lessons in the Welsh tongue".
It paid over one million pounds in educational stipend in the northern region for eighty-three students of military families in the current academic year, and £942,000 for 79 children in 2023-2024 under a established practice.
A spokesperson said "service children can experience regular relocations" and the allowance "seeks to minimize disruption to their schooling".
The Welsh party called it a "total misuse of money" and "a disrespect to our language" while the Conservatives argued parents should be able to choose the medium in which their kids are taught.
The figures were acquired following a inquiry under the Freedom of Information Act.
The website of the military installation on the island tells its personnel, "if you live and serve in northern Wales, where public schools teach some or all classes in the Welsh tongue, you may choose to enroll your kids to an English-medium independent school".
"As long as you are joined by your household at your duty station, you can use this allowance to pay for the cost of school charges, educational excursions/residential educational courses and regular commuting."
A defense ministry representative told, "the purpose of Day School Allowance in North Wales (the allowance) is to assist service families stationed to the area, where the Welsh tongue is the primary medium of local state education".
"Since relocation is a part of service life, service children can encounter frequent moves and from DSA-NW aims to lessen interference to their learning."
"The MoD acknowledges the contributions service personnel, and their relatives undertake, and through DSA-NW assists with the costs of private education provided in English."
'Where teaching is bilingual or non-English'
The benefit covers school costs up to a maximum of twenty-two thousand seven hundred fifty-five pounds annually, seven thousand five hundred eighty-five pounds each semester, and is available to people residing in the regions of the county, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Anglesey or Flintshire and working in one of the following establishments:
- The military base, the island
- Joint Services Mountain Training Centre, Anglesey
- The joint military mountain unit, Llanrwst
- Wales University Officers' Training Corps (the corps), Bangor detachment, Caernarfon
The eligible independent institutions are Treffos institution, the village, the island; Rydal Penrhos Prep school in the town; St Gerard's school, Bangor and St David's institution, the town.
The relevant joint service publication states that "disbursement of the allowance is restricted to those regions where teaching in the state sector is on a dual-language or non-English basis".
People stationed elsewhere in the multiple services of the armed forces - the Army, the naval service and the air service - can apply for a continuity of education allowance which contributes towards residential and/or tuition fees up to a cap, with a required family share of ten percent for each eligible child.
Welsh Conservative assembly representative the politician commented "members of the British armed forces relocate across the nation and the globe, and the MoD has always sought to guarantee that their kids have availability to consistency in education".
"While we fully support Welsh-language teaching throughout Wales, it's important to recognize there are dual recognized tongues in our country, the English tongue and Welsh, and local councils and education authorities should provide for both."
"Parents should always have the choice to select the language in which their kids are taught."
Plaid Cymru's education spokesperson Cefin Campbell MS stated "not just is this a complete waste of money, it is an insult to our tongue".
"I cannot think of any justifiable cause to be spending these funds every year, on blocking young people residing in the country from having the chance to learn the Welsh language."
"Bilingualism enhances experience and aids the development of young people, but the British administration is clearly blind to this."
"This money is a perfect example of the attitude of the Westminster parties regarding Wales and the Welsh language - namely unawareness and disrespect."
