Plans by Welsh council bosses’ to reduce the amount of lessons taught in English to ‘bolster’ the Welsh language have been applauded by residents of Bangor despite being slammed as ‘crazy’ by one of their local teachers.
Gwynedd Council in North Wales wants to make Welsh the main language of instruction in all schools within the county.
In order to do this, most English language classes in the county would be scrapped in a move which has been blasted by education unions who claim it will worsen a recruitment crisis.
According to the 2021 census, just 17.8% of Wales’ population are able to speak and understand Welsh, however in Gwynedd this stands at 76.3%.
In Bangor, found the policy had divided local opinion with many parents supporting the slashing of English language education in favour of Welsh.
But one teacher branded it ‘crazy’ and others said it could lead to a backlash in a corner of Wales where many have accused locals of being anti-English.
More than a million visitors every year flock to Gwynedd which is home to Snowdonia and stunning remote beaches.
But there has been anger at English ownership of second homes forcing out locals as well as accusations of animosity towards tourists.
Under the council plan, all secondary pupils would receive 70 per cent of their education in Welsh while younger primary school children would get all their lessons in the native language.
Al lessons for pupils aged between four and seven would be in Welsh, dropping to 80 per cent for seven to 11 year-olds, and 70 per cent for those attending secondary schools.
Welsh councillors have been accused of being ‘zealots’ in a county where a minority of people speak Welsh.
The issue was a lively talking point on the streets of Bangor, Gwynedd’s only city.
Taxi driver John Williams, 64, said: ‘I’m in favour but I know there will be a backlash.
‘There will be people who don’t like it and there will be accusations of anti-English.
‘But we have to keep the language alive.’
Social worker Alaw Williams, 23, agreed, saying: ‘I think it’s a good idea and I disagree that it is all down to Welsh zealots.
‘I had all my lessons in Welsh all through school and it hasn’t held me back.
‘I then went on Bristol University and I had no problems with lessons in English.
‘We are in Wales – you should be able to speak should Welsh and have lessons in Welsh.
‘Being bi-lingual is a really important skill to have.
‘People are surprised how much Welsh is spoken in Wales.’
Father-of-two Aled Jones, 68, whose 11-year-old grandson speaks Welsh, said: ‘My daughter was just taught in Welsh at school.
‘It worked as she got a job.
‘But she had to have extra maths lessons in English.
‘There is a lot of English spoken anyway – in fact people speak both.’
Mother-of-two Rhian Hughes, 32, said: ‘I want my kids to be taught in Welsh.
‘We are in Wales so we would be taught in our native language.
‘English is everywhere – on the TV, internet and radio so everyone speaks it anyway.
‘It’s not a backward step to have more Welsh in schools. It didn’t harm me learning in Welsh when I was at school.’
However, there were many others who criticised the move with some accusing it of being a policy born out of anti-English spite.
Mother-of-one Anne Williams, 66, said: ‘It seems a backward step.
‘It will harm children’s education for sure.
‘I’m all for preserving the language but it should not be forced on people.
‘Lessons should be in English and Welsh.’
One primary school teacher, who did not want to be named, said: ‘It’s a terrible idea – it makes us look backward.
‘It will be very hard to implement. A lot of kids don’t speak fluent Welsh in my school where it is due to come in.
‘It’s a crazy decision.’
Megan Owen, 34, added: ‘It’s madness – a stupid idea dreamt up by Welsh nationalists.
‘You shouldn’t force kids to learn just in Welsh. It will hold children back.
‘Everyone speaks Welsh and English – there’s not need to interfere.’
While Gwynedd remains a Welsh language heartland, the percentage of Welsh speakers has fallen.
In 1981, 76 per cent could speak Welsh, but by 2021 this had fallen to 64 per cent.
All but two of the 13 secondaries in Gwynedd are required to ensure 60 per cent of pupils receive at least 70 per cent of their lessons in Welsh.
The new proposals would force 100 per cent of pupils to be taught in Welsh 70 per cent of the time.
Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, accused those behind the plans of being ‘linguistic zealots’.
Under the plans, all lessons for pupils aged between four and seven would be in Welsh, dropping to 80 per cent for seven to 11 year-olds and 70 per cent for those attending secondary schools.
Councillor Dewi Jones, who holds the education portfolio on the council, said: ‘The current emphasis is on bilingual learning but we’re moving towards a system of Welsh-medium education.
‘Of course not all schools are at the same stage of the process and they will be ready to offer these changes at different points.’
The proposals will be debated by the council’s cabinet and the full council, and a public consultation will also be held.
Gwynedd Council is one of many in Wales that have hiked council tax in a clampdown on second homes ownership which have forced out Welsh natives.
Certain second homes will be taxed a whopping 150 per cent.
The council has also encouraged locals to report their rich second home owner neighbours.
Tourists have accused some locals in Gwynedd of being virulent anti-English.
Last year, a party of seven English women hikers said they would never return to the village of Llanberis on the slopes of Mount Snowdon after being snubbed in pubs and abused in the street for being English.
One local admitted to that there was ‘among us Welsh speakers towards the English’ due to the number of second homes and tourists.
Linda Owen, 58, said: ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if we went back to the days of holiday homes being burned down again.’
This is a reference to the notorious Welsh nationalist movement of the 1980s when a group called Meibion Glyndwr or ‘Sons of Glendower’ – named after a medieval Welsh prince who fought against English invasion – burned down homes belonging to English people.