Schools Receive Funding for Gaelic-language Instruction

Students at Nova Scotia's newest high school will soon be able to study one of province's oldest languages.

Halifax's Citadel High School is going Gaelic after receiving a $23,000 provincial grant to help prepare for the introduction a permanent Gaelic language course next year.

The school is one of six from across the province receiving Gaelic Language Program Grants to improve and expand instruction to hundreds of students wishing to study one of Nova Scotia's earliest ancestral languages.

The program grants, which range from $3,625 to $30,000, will be used to hire Gaelic language teachers, provide professional development opportunities and purchase of teaching and other learning materials.

"The study of the Gaelic language and culture gives students a wonderful opportunity to develop a greater appreciation for Nova Scotia's diverse heritage," said Education Minister Karen Casey. "Students deserve an opportunity to learn one of this province's ancestral languages."

Schools receiving grants are:

• Rankin School of the Narrows, Iona, $3,625;
• Mira Road Elementary, Sydney, $10,250;
• St. Andrew Junior School, Antigonish, $27,500;
• St. Andrew Consolidated, St. Andrews, $30,000;
• Inverness Education Centre/Academy, Inverness, $13,200;
• Citadel High School, Halifax, $23,630;

Melissa Shaw, an English teacher who is heading Citadel's Gaelic Cultural Awareness Project, says interest in studying Gaelic is high among students at the city's newest high school.

"So many of our students come from a background where only two generations ago, Gaelic was the first language, so it is really important that we validate the language and the culture in our schools," she said. "It's exciting that we may be able to do this."

Gaelic is considered one of the world's top nine languages in danger of disappearing. In Nova Scotia, there are fewer than 500 native speakers. The province once boasted as many as 100,000, the largest population of Gaelic speakers outside Scotland.

"The Gaelic language is at a critical stage in its evolution in Nova Scotia," said Angus MacIsaac, Minister for the Office of Gaelic Affairs. "It is important that we preserve and maintain Gaelic in Nova Scotia."

Close to 1,500 public school, adult, and college students are estimated to be studying Gaelic in Nova Scotia. The language is offered in the public school system in grades 3 through 12.

The Department of Education recently developed curricula for Gaelic 10, 11 and 12 and, this year, will begin to develop curriculum for elementary and junior high school.

This year, the department will target $200,000 in Gaelic program grants, which are intended to provide students with an introductory-level experience in the language.

Applications for additional projects for the winter and fall of 2007-08 are now being accepted. Deadline for applications is Nov. 1.