Concert, cake-cutting and ceilidh to celebrate 25 years of Gaelic education
20/11/08
Youngsters are set to mark a quarter of a century of Gaelic education in Scotland with a special celebratory concert.
Parents, teachers and friends of Gaelic in Aberdeen will join the children at Gilcomstoun School for the event, which will feature performances by pupils from the school’s Gaelic Unit and from Hazlehead Academy.
The concert will be followed by the cutting of a 25th birthday cake at the school – and in the evening by a civic reception at the Town House, hosted by Aberdeen City Council’s lead councillor for education, Kirsty West.
Celebrations to mark the milestone in Gaelic education come to a close on Friday, 28 November, with a ceilidh starting at 8pm in the Blue Lamp, organised by Club Gàidhlig Obar Dheathain (Aberdeen Gaelic Club) and with music from young local band Rough Agenda.
Comhairle nan Sgoiltean Araich (CNSA, the Gaelic Pre-School Council) began in the early 1980s with four playgroups in Skye, Oban, Pitlochry and Edinburgh, and the first Gaelic playgroup in Aberdeen opened its doors in 1989. The success of the playgroups led to demand for Gaelic primary school units – and there are now 61 across Scotland.
In Aberdeen, children up to the age of three and their parents can start learning Gaelic through play at the Gaelic Parent and Child Group, which meets on Friday mornings, 9.30–11.30am, at Gilcomstoun Primary School. The group has a Gaelic playleader who organises activities, crafts and Gaelic songs.
Once children reach the age of three they can go on to the Gaelic Nursery, and at five can attend the Gaelic Primary School Unit at Gilcomstoun. Beyond primary they can continue their tuition at the designated secondary school at Hazlehead Academy.
There are many career opportunities in which people can use Gaelic, including broadcasting, the performing arts, education at all levels, and journalism.
Children and parents do not need to speak Gaelic to attend the parent and child group, the nursery or Primary 1 classes. Some 70% of children in Gaelic-medium education in Aberdeen come from a non-Gaelic-speaking background as many parents realise the benefits of a bi-lingual education. Children are taught through the immersion method.
Anyone who has been involved in Gaelic pre-school provision over the years and would like to attend the concert, please telephone (01224) 642722. For tickets or information on the celidh, and for more information on the Gaelic Parent and Child Group, contact 07900 337122. For full details of Gaelic education in Scotland, go to www.teagasg.com:80/gd/opportunities.html
If you have any queries regarding this, or any other news story, please contact Aberdeen City Council on: 01224 522000.
