Itchy Coo, campaigners for Scots language and publishers of teaching materials, have warned that failure by A Curriculum for Excellence to name Scots in its languages guidance would be “a major setback for the development of Scots in schools”.
“English, Gaelic, Urdu, Punjabi and Polish are named,” said a spokesperson.
“The important role that each of these languages has to play in modern Scotland is undisputed. But we have been advised that there are no plans to include the word Scots alongside them. When asked about its omission, the review team states that Scots is to be inferred from the phrase ‘the different languages of Scotland’.
“We feel this is confusing and damaging. It is also out of step with the needs of the growing numbers of teachers who are beginning to realise the benefits of using Scots in the classroom.”
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive said it supported the inclusion of Scots in the curriculum where appropriate.
