Commentary on Provisions Part 1: Gaelic Chapter 2: Education Section 15: Duty of Scottish Ministers to promote Gaelic education
57.Section 15 of the Act inserts a new section 6A into the 2016 Act. This imposes a duty on the Scottish Ministers to promote, facilitate and support the provision in schools of Gaelic learner education and Gaelic medium education and the teaching of the Gaelic language in the provision of further education by education authorities. Those terms are defined in section 18 of the 2016 Act.
58.The Scottish Ministers must in particular promote, facilitate and support the provision of education resources in the Gaelic language for use in school education. This could include resources such as worksheets, reading books and other learning materials.
59.Section 15 also amends the definition of “Gaelic language” in the 2016 Act so that it refers to Gaelic being “used” rather than “spoken”, to make the definition consistent with the definition in the 2005 Act.