Every speaker counts

The importance of using Scots language in the classroom

The 2011 census reported that over 1.5 million people in Scotland speak Scots language. If we were to say that roughly a third of adults speak Scots, could we also say that a third of Scotland’s children and young people speak Scots? That might be going too far.

Bruce Eunison, Scots language coordinator at Education Scotland, writes about equity; “When in your school do the learners get a chance to learn in, or learn about, Scots language? Whether a third of children and young people currently speak Scots is irrelevant. If a teacher in any school in any part of Scotland has just one Scots speaker in just one of their classes, they need to make sure and encourage that learner to bring that language into the classroom and explore the educational benefits together”.