Keith Davies AM today challenged the Welsh Conservatives to clarify their position on Welsh medium education, following bizarre claims by Michael Fabricant MP that the Welsh language was holding education back in Wales.
The Labour AM and Chair of the Cross-Party Group on the Welsh Language said:
“Michael Fabricant’s views were from another age and the Welsh Conservatives need to clear this up – do they agree with the Lichfield MP, and do they think Welsh medium education is a bad thing for our school children?
“The sum total of Mr Fabricant’s evidence that Welsh isn’t needed in the classroom is that the ‘Welsh for neutron is neutron’. This is just a silly attack from an MP who doesn’t know what he’s talking about. It was clear from the remarks he made that he didn’t even know the difference between bilingual schools and Welsh–medium schools.
“He went so far as to say that it was a nonsense to expect maths and science teachers to also be fluent in Welsh – well my five children went to Welsh-medium schools and they had no problem whatsoever being taught those subjects. I know plenty of teachers who would be pretty shocked at Mr Fabricant’s level of ignorance.
“It is up to Andrew RT Davies to either apologise for Mr Fabricant’s offensive remarks – or back them up with evidence.”
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