Ministry of Defence Allocates Large Sums on Private Education to Bypass Welsh Education
The MoD allocates around one million pounds annually to place students to private schools in north Wales because "public schools provide some or all lessons in the Welsh tongue".
The ministry disbursed £1,019,000 in day school allowance in the northern region for eighty-three students of military families in the current academic year, and £942,000 for seventy-nine students in the previous year under a established policy.
A spokesperson said "military families' children can face regular relocations" and the stipend "aims to minimize interruption to their schooling".
Plaid Cymru called it a "complete waste of funds" and "an insult to our tongue" while the Conservatives argued parents should be able to select the language in which their kids are educated.
The figures were acquired following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
The website of RAF Valley on Anglesey informs its workforce, "for those residing and working in northern Wales, where state schools provide some or all lessons in the Welsh tongue, you can opt to send your kids to an English-language independent school".
"As long as you are joined by your household at your duty station, you can utilize this allowance to cover the expense of school charges, educational excursions/residential educational courses and regular commuting."
An MoD spokesperson explained, "the aim of the educational stipend in North Wales (DSA-NW) is to support service families stationed to the area, where the Welsh tongue is the primary medium of local state education".
"As mobility is a part of military career, military kids can encounter frequent moves and from this allowance seeks to minimize disruption to their education."
"The MoD acknowledges the contributions military members, and their relatives undertake, and through DSA-NW assists with the costs of independent day schooling provided in the English language."
'In Areas With Bilingual or Non-English Instruction'
The allowance includes tuition fees up to a limit of £22,755 annually, £7,585 each semester, and is accessible to people living in the regions of the county, the area, the locality, Anglesey or Flintshire and working in these specific locations:
- The military base, Anglesey
- Joint Services Mountain Training Centre, Anglesey
- Joint Services Mountain Training Wing, the town
- The university military training program (the corps), Bangor unit, Caernarfon
The eligible independent institutions are Treffos school, Llansadwrn, the island; Rydal Penrhos Prep school in Colwyn Bay; St Gerard's school, the city and St David's College, Llandudno.
The applicable military policy document confirms that "payment of the stipend is limited to those areas where instruction in the public system is on a bilingual or non-English basis".
People stationed in other locations in the three branches of the armed forces - the Army, the naval service and the Royal Air Force - can claim a continuity of education allowance which helps with residential and/or tuition fees up to a maximum rate, with a minimum parental contribution of ten percent for each eligible child.
Welsh Conservative assembly representative the politician said "members of the UK military move around the country and the globe, and the MoD have always sought to guarantee that their kids have availability to continuity in education".
"Although we fully support Welsh-language teaching across Wales, it's important to recognize there are two official languages in our nation, the English tongue and the Welsh language, and local councils and education authorities should accommodate both."
"Parents should always have the option to select the medium in which their kids are taught."
Plaid Cymru's education spokesperson the assembly member stated "not only is this a total misuse of funding, it is a slight to our tongue".
"It's hard to imagine any justifiable cause to be spending such money every year, on preventing young people living in Wales from having the opportunity to learn the Welsh tongue."
"Bilingualism enriches experience and supports the development of young people, but the British administration is clearly unaware to this."
"These funds is a clear illustration of the approach of the Westminster parties towards Wales and the native tongue - namely ignorance and insults."
