The policy means that pupils on island such as Barra would study Gaelic as a first language until primary four ALAMYA row has broken out over plans to teach Gaelic as a first language to all primary one pupils on the Western Isles. The unprecedented move by Western Isles council provoked a backlash from the Conservatives, who warned that the policy could put children “at a distinct disadvantage to their peers”. This claim in turn angered Kate Forbes, Scotland’s public finance minister, who was taught at a Gaelic school and went to Cambridge University. The Gaelic First policy has been introduced by the council to help boost use of the language and give children the benefits of being bilingual. It means the default language of education for the local authority will be Gaelic from primary…

Source: The Times January 23, 2020 17:03 UTC