Nairn Parents meeting held Weds 5 Oct

NAIRN PARENTS’ INITIATIVE FOR A GAELIC MEDIUM EDUCATION UNIT MINUTES OF MEETING HELD WEDNESDAY 5 OCTOBER 2005 AT 19:30 NAIRN COMMUNITY CENTRE The minutes of the previous meeting were approved. Apologies from HR, DJMacL and DMcD who informed the group, via e-mail, late the same day, that they would not be able to attend. This did not give the group enough time to cancel the meeting, so in their absence, Janice McLeod chaired the meeting. It was agreed that although this changed the nature of the meeting, the time should still be used as an idea forum to discuss relevant issues and share information about the progress made so far. The reason given by the above absentees for their non-appearance, was that since the Council meeting scheduled for August last had not taken place, there was insufficient further progress to merit a meeting. The councillors present said the next Nairn Area Committee Meeting would be 25 October 2005 and that discussions have taken place and are ongoing re GME in Nairn. They estimated the cost for a unit would be £1000,000 for a 2 Classroom unit. The Scottish Executive would meet 75% of this cost, but the councillors said there was already a deficit in the local budget. A possible site had been identified at Millbank Primary School and the old canteen was scheduled for demolition around Easter, but it was felt this would be too late for the promised start-up date of August 2006. Since the initial meeting on 27 April 2005, D J MacLeod had proposed that a part-time teacher would be in place to maintain and develop the Gaelic Language abilities of the current P1 pupils on the waiting list, so that they would not be disadvantaged when they hopefully started at the GM unit in Sept 2006 when they were in P2. Parents saw this as a positive step forward. The post had apparently been advertised but there had been no applicants. CD questioned where the job had been advertised, as it was known that there was at least 1 local person who was qualified and willing to apply, but this person had been unaware that the post had been advertised. Findlay McLeod of CNSA suggested that Nairn is the only place in Scotland where a GME unit has been refused and felt that it was being deliberately blocked locally. He thought that the reasons given were always to do with accommodation or staff or money, but he real reason is that there is a lack of will in Nairn. The councillors responded that there is a budget deficit, but again it was thought that with the Scottish Executive’s financial help, it should be feasible to achieve the objective of a GME unit, especially since EU funding is available for minority languages. It was suggested that Nairn Parents would have to protest to get something, which is their legal right. The councillors were asked whether GME was on the agenda of the next Committee meeting. They said it was not. JM said that if you asked the people of Nairn if they would rather money was spent on a new Bailey Bridge or a GME unit, he knew what their response would be. In response to this comment it was noted that the people of Nairn would never be offered a choice like that, so the point was irrelevant and again it was strongly felt that the local council is very anti-Gaelic. It was agreed that to further the cause, there would have to be clarity and two-way communication and that there should be a parent delegation to discuss things further with the authorities e.g. councillors, Director of Education, MSP’s, Scottish Office etc. It was also agreed that a letter should be drafted to the absent DJMacL, DMcD and HR and a list of questions and issues attached. Copies of this correspondence should be kept and sent to other interested parties from whom the parents could expect support. People have to be informed of what is happening and there should perhaps be a press release when the next meeting is scheduled. FM asked the three local councillors present (EMacD, JM and LF) what their opinions were on GME. LF said he kept an open mind and would support parents who wanted it and that he said the same two years ago. JM spoke of the need to be very careful in airing personal opinions at the meeting in the light of the major shortfall in the education budget, and that we should not be entering into new commitments. There were other priorities. LF said a music teacher had recently been lost because of cuts. E McD said she would also keep an open mind. She told the meeting that she had been a founder member of the Gaelic Playgroup in Nairn. She said that she was also on the School Board of Millbank PS and that the school had other pressures, e.g. school canteen in need of repair. MM said that 75% of funding for the GME unit would be coming from the Scottish Executive. It was asked whether perhaps the percentage could be increased and also whether Eleanor Scott MSP could help, as resources seem to be the main problem. JM said the group’s timing was atrocious in light of the £7 million budget deficit problem, but excellent from another point of view; the Gaelic Act gives equal respect to Gaelic and English. This has a regulatory function, which is required to take forward policies and standards of Community Education. At present twenty years of GME across Scotland are being celebrated. DMacG said Bord na Gaidhlig had been set up to extend language use and raise levels of acquisition and the current Minister for Education was positive towards GME, which also helped foster a positive feeling for the future of GME. FMcL said the councillors should be praised for attending and thanked them. CD said that parents would have to write letters and with existing letters of support, as well as letters of assurance that a GME unit would be up and running in time for August 2006. She said she would be ready to take it further to achieve the desired end. FMcL said the most important thing for the future of GME in Nairn was positive communication, building relationships and driving real issues forward. It was worth offering to go and meet the absent Council Officials to discuss this. In a letter to them the group should set a date for reporting back and set a mutually agreed date for a future open meeting. As an initial response, it was agreed that a letter to DJ MacL, HR and DMcD would be written expressing disappointment at the lack of communication, and to initiate dialogue and face to face contact with a parent delegation. JMcL thanked everyone for attending and drew the meeting to a close.