A meeting focused on increasing the number of English-speaking pupils in Welsh-medium schools was broadcast only in Welsh due to a technical malfunction, preventing many parents from following the proceedings live. The issue affected the live stream of Wrexham council's lifelong learning scrutiny committee meeting on Wednesday, which was conducted in Welsh without an available English translation.
Access to Information
Parents and guardians not fluent in Welsh were unable to access the discussion on efforts to encourage English-speaking families to enroll their children in Welsh-medium educational settings. According to the 2021 Census, 12.2% of Wrexham residents can speak Welsh.
Ceri Roberts, the council's Welsh-medium education transformation officer, informed the committee that Welsh-medium primary school intakes in the county borough are increasing, and several schools have received accolades for their Welsh education programs.
However, councillor Phil Wynn noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had a "material impact on the confidence of English-speaking families to commit their children to a bilingual education."
The council stated that an English translation became available online after the technical issue was reported and addressed.