“Minority languages mustn’t be forgotten about” Emma Roddick MSP welcomes Scottish Government progress on BSL National Plan.

MSP for the Highlands & Islands Emma Roddick has today [Thursday 8th December] welcomed news that the Scottish Government has made progress on delivering its BSL National Plan.

Ms Roddick said she was pleased to hear that the government’s policy Language Learning in Scotland: A 1+2 approach, which promotes the learning of modern languages, had been rolled out across all Scottish secondary schools as well as the vast majority of primary schools, but expressed that “minority languages like BSL mustn’t be forgotten about.”

In response, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Shirley-Anne Somerville, assured that the Scottish Government was committed to the promotion of BSL and highlighted that there had been a significant increase in the number of Scottish schools teaching BSL in recent years.

Commenting Ms Roddick said:

“The Scottish Government is showing a clear commitment to increasing and enriching language education across Scotland. The rollout of the 1+2 policy across almost all Scottish schools is encouraging.

“It is so important, though, that we ensure minority languages like BSL don’t slip through the cracks, so, I am pleased to hear that the government is continuing to make progress in that respect.

“It is fantastic to hear that more and more schools are taking on BSL as part of their language curriculum. The importance of promoting BSL cannot be understated, both for the inclusion and understanding of the D/deaf community.

“I am proud to live in a country that continues to take these inclusive strides and I look forward to seeing more people across Scotland take on BSL as one of their languages.”

ENDS

Notes

British Sign Language – national plan: progress report: https://www.gov.scot/publications/british-sign-language-progress-report/