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College gets extra £3.5m to be centre for Gaelic culturesee - http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/61980.htmlCollege gets extra £3.5m to be centre for Gaelic culture The importance which the Scottish Executive attaches to Sabhal MÚr Ostaig as a national centre for Gaelic language and culture will be underlined today. Peter Peacock, the education minister who has political responsibility for protecting the language, will travel to the college on Skye's Sleat peninsula to announce an improved core funding package that recognises its status. There will be an additional £3.5m over four years from the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council. The increase follows key recommendations made in an independent review of Sabhal MÚr Ostaig commissioned by the executive. The review, by PricewaterhouseCoopers, included an examination of the college's structures for the delivery of its courses, senior management, leadership, and strategic and operational plans. Mr Peacock said yesterday: "Our ambitious plans for the Gaelic language and culture need somewhere like Sabhal MÚr Ostaig, a national centre where Gaelic can be developed and promoted. Sabhal MÚr Ostaig is a high-quality unique institution embracing education, arts and culture and economic development activity. It is a key centre for ideas and innovation within Gaelic. "That's why I'm delighted that we have been able to strengthen the college's financial situation with this funding package, designed to support the college's ambitions for, and work towards, Gaelic development. It has an extremely important contribution to make both to the promotion of Gaelic in Scotland and to the economy of the Highlands and Islands." According to Professor Norman Gillies, the college director, the new financial package, which adds to core funding of under £2m, recognises the effectiveness of its approach in supporting and revitalising Gaelic. Professor Gillies said: "The announcement by Peter Peacock gives us increased core funding and official recognition as a national centre for the development of the Gaelic language and culture. "The report by PricewaterhouseCoopers shows that our holistic approach to maintaining and revitalising Gaelic is the right one. "It also recognised good governance and reaffirmed the college's reputation for high quality educational leadership. The review also spoke of the high quality of teaching and the resultant successful learning." |
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and the same story from the BBC:
Gaelic college gets funding boost http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/4769863.stm 
Scotland's Gaelic college, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, is set to receive £3.5m in long-term funding from the Scottish Executive. The centre is based at Sleat on the Isle of Skye. It was set up in 1973 with eight full-time students. It now caters for more than 100 and promotes Scottish Gaelic around the world. The funding package will be detailed by Education Minister Peter Peacock on a visit to the college on Monday. Mr Peacock, who has ministerial responsibility for Gaelic, said: "Scotland is rightly proud of its past but we are also a country with a flourishing future. "I want the Gaelic language and culture to be part of that future, not just destined to become a historical curiosity." He added: "Our ambitious plans for Gaelic language and culture need somewhere like Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, a national centre where Gaelic can be developed and promoted. "Sabhal Mòr Ostaig is a high-quality unique institution embracing education, arts and culture and economic development activity. "It is a key centre for ideas and innovation within Gaelic." Deputy First Minister and Lifelong Learning Minister Nicol Stephen said that Sabhal Mòr Ostaig had "an important role to play in providing valuable support, not only for fluent Gaelic speakers but also for learners". He added: "I am delighted that the executive's lifelong learning programme is helping support these developments. "This will allow the college look to the future, build on its successes and meet the challenges of tomorrow." |