EDUCATION Secretary Jenny Gilruth has said that she is “not content with Bòrd na Gàidhlig's job cuts proposals”.
In February, it was reported that three people would lose their jobs at Bòrd na Gàidhlig, with the Gaelic Development Officer scheme also being scrapped, when ministers cut £354,000 from the organisation’s budget.
It’s believed the contracts of two language planning officers and an education manager will not be renewed in the next financial year, as well as almost 30 Gaelic development officer positions.
The Scottish Government confirmed at the time that short-term additional funding for Bòrd na Gàidhlig would not be able to continue due to “extraordinary financial challenges”.
Now, Gilruth has said she is “not content” with the proposals to cut jobs.
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“Officials have asked Bòrd na Gàidhlig to come back with alternative proposals that would seek to provide greater clarity in relation to that,” she said.
“Because I recognise the challenges, particularly in some of these communities, whose access to Gaelic will actually be strengthened by the legislation we will be taking publicly later this year".
The consultation on the Scottish Language Bill ended on March 8.
The legislation specifies that the Scottish Government must promote Gaelic and Scots education in schools, while giving ministers powers to set standards on the languages within education.
It would also change the responsibilities of Bòrd na Gàidhlig to include reports on Gaelic language strategy, as well as whether public authorities are complying with their duties to promote the use of the language.
The Scottish Government has come under fire over the cuts to funding, including by Gaelic grassroots campaign group Misneachd Alba who said it shows the language “isn't dying, it's being killed” by a lack of funding and support.
The group wrote to Finance Secretary Shona Robison and Gilruth calling on the cuts to be reversed and calling for a review into the overall funding being put towards the Gaelic language.
“The loss of 29 Gaelic development officers in rural communities, along with three posts at Bòrd na Gàidhlig will have a potentially devastating effect on these communities, not only in terms of the loss of employment, but in the confidence and the belief of those working tirelessly against ongoing and intensifying language shift,” the group wrote.
“There is a danger that the very small number of people willing and able to do these jobs will lose interest and enthusiasm through being constantly let down by the system which is supposedly in place to support them and their communities.
“People are sick and tired of the short-term temporary contracts, low pay and insecure career prospects in a sector that should be the cornerstone of Gaelic promotion in Scotland."
The letter added that the £210,000 allocated for research and pilot schemes on depopulation would be better spent on maintaining the positions at Bòrd na Gàidhlig, and referenced an article written by Kate Forbes for The National.
“There will not be a second chance to preserve Gaelic as a spoken vernacular language in Scotland,” the letter continued.
The most recent statement regarding the cuts from the Scottish Government said: "The Scottish Budget 2024-25 targets funding for public services, including support for Gaelic and an understanding of what Gaelic needs, despite cuts in ' funding that the UK Government provides to the Scottish budget.
"However, the Scottish Government recognizes the significant role that Gaelic plays in Scottish culture, and we want to support the language so that it can succeed and grow .
"The Scottish Languages Bill includes a range of measures to further support Gaelic, including the designation of Special Language Areas to support the language in communities where there are many Gaelic speakers or where has a special connection with Gaelic.
"We will continue to communicate with stakeholders as the Bill goes through the parliamentary process.
"Despite the unusual financial challenges facing the Scottish Government, the funding base of Bòrd na Gàidhlig has been protected.”
Bòrd na Gàidhlig have been approached for comment.
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