Obair tro Mheadhan na Gàidhlig

Gaelic Medium Education (GME) - Foghlam tro Mheadhan na Gàidhlig (FTMG) - has been very successful in Scotland, with GME schools facing growing demand for places and the most recent census returns suggesting the decline in the language may have been halted as the reduction in the number of older speakers is finally being balanced by an increase in the number of younger speakers supported by GME. It should be stressed that GME is open to all and similar placement criteria apply as would apply to any school. The successful performance of GME in terms of outcomes and attainment suggests it may be a useful option to consider when addressing more widely the so-called "attainment gap".  

However, as a keen advocate of support for the language, I personally find myself utterly demoralized when I go into shops and places of work, especially in areas which are considered to be among the heartlands of the language, to find myself addressed in English as a first resort rather than Gaelic. What motivation can a school pupil find to pursue studies through the medium of a language when they will not use that language to conduct or transact business once they complete their education and enter the workforce?

The answer is GMW - the Gaelic Medium Workplace. The natural extension of GME is the Gaelic Medium Workplace, or Obair tro Mheadhan na Gàidhlig (OTMG). This is required as a continuation of the support provided by GME. A scheme should be set up to support businesses who choose to undertake their daily activities using the Gaelic language. 

Boardroom, back-office and shop-floor work would be conducted in Gaelic. Client-facing interactions would use Gaelic as a first resort unless the nature of the business required otherwise. Business-to-business interactions between participants in the scheme would be conducted in Gaelic. School leavers from GME establishments would be able to use the language of their studies in the workplace, contributing to its revitalisation and relevance, in accordance with some of the stated aims of GME. A business could be accredited as a GMW.  

This scheme, of course, would have to be arranged so as not to confer unfair commercial advantage to a business making the choice to participate. However, the scheme is necessary to prevent such businesses from suffering an unfair commercial disadvantage as a result of this choice. It is not a matter of providing incentives but of removing disincentives. The scheme would face opposition if it was perceived to be giving preferential treatment. It would have to be a voluntary option, elective rather than unavoidable. However, the "equality of respect" required for the Gaelic language in law, and the implementation of Gaelic Language Action Plans by local authorities as a result, could easily be enhanced by the inclusion of support for GMWs.   

So, for example, provision could be made to support lessons for existing staff and new hires gun a' Ghàidhlig aca, and other areas where the operation of a GMW would incur additional costs relative to current practice could be addressed. Public procurement of products and services that included Gaelic content could including operation of a GMW scheme among the criteria on which bidders are scored. It is not about offering Gaelic a bigger slice of the pie. It is about making sure businesses where Gaelic could be spoken - in the Western Isles for example - don't have to ask in English for the snaois they are already entitled to.

When I walk into a shop in Stornoway I want to be addressed in Gaelic whether I speak it or not, and GMW is the only way I can see of achieving this.