Ministry of Defence Spends Millions on Private Schools to Bypass Welsh Education
The MoD spends around one million pounds annually to place children to independent educational institutions in northern Wales because "public schools provide various classes in the Welsh tongue".
The ministry disbursed over one million pounds in day school allowance in north Wales for 83 children of military families in the current academic year, and £942,000 for seventy-nine students in 2023-2024 under a longstanding practice.
A spokesperson said "military families' children can experience frequent moves" and the allowance "seeks to minimize disruption to their education".
The Welsh party described it as a "complete waste of funds" and "a disrespect to our language" while the Conservatives said parents should be able to select the medium in which their kids are educated.
The figures were obtained following a inquiry under the Freedom of Information Act.
The online portal of RAF Valley on the island tells its workforce, "for those residing and working in north Wales, where public schools provide various classes in the Welsh language, you may choose to send your children to an English-language independent school".
"Provided you are joined by your household at your duty station, you can use this benefit to pay for the expense of tuition fees, educational excursions/residential educational courses and daily transport."
A defense ministry representative told, "the aim of Day School Allowance in North Wales (the allowance) is to support military households posted to the region, where Welsh is the primary medium of local state education".
"Since relocation is a part of military career, military kids can face regular transfers and the this allowance aims to lessen interference to their learning."
"The MoD acknowledges the contributions service personnel, and their families make, and from the stipend helps with the costs of independent day schooling provided in English."
'In Areas With Bilingual or Non-English Instruction'
The allowance covers school costs up to a maximum of £22,755 a year, £7,585 each semester, and is accessible to people residing in the regions of Conwy, the area, the locality, the island or Flintshire and working in one of the following establishments:
- RAF Valley, the island
- The combined forces alpine training facility, Anglesey
- The joint military mountain unit, the town
- Wales University Officers' Training Corps (the corps), Bangor detachment, the city
The eligible independent institutions are Treffos school, Llansadwrn, the island; Rydal Penrhos preparatory institution in Colwyn Bay; St Gerard's, Bangor and St David's College, Llandudno.
The relevant military policy document states that "payment of the stipend is limited to those areas where instruction in the public system is on a dual-language or non-English foundation".
Personnel serving elsewhere in the multiple services of the military - the ground forces, the Royal Navy and the air service - can apply for a educational continuity benefit which helps with residential and/or school charges up to a cap, with a minimum parental contribution of 10% for each qualifying student.
Tory Senedd member the politician said "members of the British armed forces move around the nation and the globe, and the MoD have always sought to guarantee that their kids have access to continuity in schooling".
"While we strongly endorse Welsh-medium education across Wales, it's crucial to recognize there are two official languages in our nation, English and the Welsh language, and local councils and education authorities should accommodate both."
"Families should always have the choice to decide the language in which their children are taught."
Plaid Cymru's education spokesperson Cefin Campbell MS stated "not only is this a total misuse of money, it is a slight to our language".
"I cannot think of any justifiable cause to be allocating these funds every year, on blocking young people residing in Wales from having the chance to acquire the Welsh tongue."
"Bilingualism enriches experience and supports the development of young people, but the UK government is obviously blind to this."
"This money is a clear illustration of the attitude of the UK political groups towards Wales and the Welsh language - namely unawareness and insults."
