MoD Allocates Millions on Private Education to Avoid Welsh Language Teaching
The MoD allocates around £1m each year to place students to independent educational institutions in north Wales because "state schools provide some or all classes in the Welsh tongue".
The ministry disbursed £1,019,000 in educational stipend in north Wales for eighty-three students of service personnel in 2024-2025, and £942,000 for 79 children in 2023-2024 under a established practice.
A spokesperson said "service children can face regular relocations" and the allowance "aims to minimize interruption to their schooling".
Plaid Cymru called it a "complete waste of money" and "an insult to our language" while the Tory party argued families should be able to choose the language in which their kids are educated.
These numbers were obtained following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
The website of RAF Valley on Anglesey informs its workforce, "if you live and serve in northern Wales, where state schools provide some or all classes in the Welsh tongue, you can opt to enroll your kids to an English-medium private institution".
"As long as you are joined by your household at your duty station, you can use this benefit to cover the expense of tuition fees, field study trips/residential educational courses and regular commuting."
An MoD spokesperson explained, "the purpose of Day School Allowance in the northern region (DSA-NW) is to assist service families stationed to the area, where the Welsh tongue is the main language of public schooling".
"As mobility is a aspect of service life, military kids can encounter regular transfers and from this allowance aims to lessen interference to their learning."
"The MoD supports the contributions military members, and their relatives make, and from the stipend helps with the costs of private education provided in English."
'In Areas With Bilingual or Non-English Instruction'
The benefit includes tuition fees up to a maximum of twenty-two thousand seven hundred fifty-five pounds a year, £7,585 per term, and is available to personnel living in the counties of Conwy, Denbighshire, the locality, the island or Flintshire and working in one of the following establishments:
- The military base, the island
- The combined forces alpine training facility, Anglesey
- The joint military mountain unit, Llanrwst
- Wales University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), Bangor detachment, the city
The eligible independent institutions are Treffos institution, the village, Anglesey; Rydal Penrhos preparatory institution in Colwyn Bay; St Gerard's, Bangor and St David's College, the town.
The applicable military policy document states that "payment of the allowance is limited to those areas where instruction in the state sector is on a bilingual or non-English foundation".
Personnel stationed in other locations in the multiple services of the armed forces - the ground forces, the naval service and the air service - can apply for a continuity of education allowance which helps with boarding and/or school charges up to a maximum rate, with a minimum parental contribution of ten percent for each eligible child.
Welsh Conservative Senedd member Natasha Asghar commented "personnel of the UK military move around the nation and the world, and the ministry have always sought to guarantee that their kids have access to continuity in schooling".
"While we fully support Welsh-medium education across the country, it's crucial to recognize there are dual recognized tongues in our country, English and the Welsh language, and municipal authorities and education authorities should provide for each."
"Parents should always have the option to decide the medium in which their kids are taught."
Plaid Cymru's education spokesperson Cefin Campbell MS stated "not just is this a total misuse of money, it is a slight to our language".
"I cannot think of any valid reason to be spending these funds annually, on blocking youth residing in Wales from having the chance to learn the Welsh tongue."
"Dual-language ability enhances experience and aids the growth of young people, but the UK government is clearly blind to this."
"This money is a perfect example of the attitude of the Westminster parties towards the nation and the Welsh language - namely ignorance and disrespect."
