🔗 Share this article Ministry of Defence Spends Large Sums on Private Schools to Bypass Welsh Language Education The military facility trains British military aviators as well as personnel for mountain and maritime missions The MoD allocates approximately £1m annually to place students to private schools in northern Wales because "state schools provide various classes in the Welsh tongue". The ministry disbursed £1,019,000 in day school allowance in north Wales for 83 children of military families in the current academic year, and £942,000 for 79 children in the previous year under a longstanding policy. A spokesperson stated "military families' children can face regular relocations" and the allowance "seeks to minimize disruption to their education". Plaid Cymru called it a "complete waste of funds" and "a disrespect to our language" while the Conservatives argued families should be able to choose the medium in which their children are educated. Prince William was stationed in the Anglesey base from 2010 and 2013 These numbers were obtained following a request under the public records law. The online portal of the military installation on the island tells its personnel, "if you live and serve in north Wales, where state schools teach some or all classes in the Welsh language, you may choose to send your children to an English-language private institution". "Provided you are accompanied by your household at your duty station, you can use this benefit to pay for the cost of school charges, field study trips/residential learning programs and regular commuting." A defense ministry representative told, "the purpose of the educational stipend in North Wales (the allowance) is to support service families stationed to the region, where Welsh is the main language of public schooling". "Since relocation is a part of military career, military kids can face regular transfers and from this allowance seeks to lessen interference to their learning." "The ministry acknowledges the contributions military members, and their families make, and through the stipend assists with the costs of independent day schooling given in the English language." 'Where teaching is bilingual or non-English' The benefit covers school costs up to a limit of £22,755 annually, £7,585 each semester, and is available to personnel residing in the counties of Conwy, Denbighshire, the locality, Anglesey or the district and serving in one of the following establishments: The military base, Anglesey Joint Services Mountain Training Centre, Anglesey Joint Services Mountain Training Wing, the town Wales University Officers' Training Corps (the corps), Bangor unit, the city The qualifying independent institutions are Treffos school, the village, the island; Rydal Penrhos preparatory institution in the town; St Gerard's school, the city and St David's institution, Llandudno. The applicable joint service publication states that "disbursement of the allowance is limited to those areas where teaching in the state sector is on a bilingual or non-English basis". People serving elsewhere in the multiple services of the armed forces - the ground forces, the Royal Navy and the air service - can claim a continuity of education allowance which helps with residential and/or tuition fees up to a maximum rate, with a minimum parental contribution of ten percent for each eligible child. Tory Senedd member the politician said "members of the British armed forces relocate across the country and the world, and the ministry have always sought to ensure that their children have access to continuity in schooling". "Although we strongly endorse Welsh-language teaching across the country, it's crucial to recognize there are dual recognized tongues in our nation, English and Welsh, and local councils and school boards should accommodate each." "Families should always have the option to select the medium in which their children are taught." The Welsh party's education spokesperson the assembly member stated "not only is this a total misuse of funding, it is an insult to our language". "I cannot think of any valid reason to be allocating such money annually, on preventing young people living in Wales from having the chance to acquire the Welsh tongue." "Dual-language ability enriches life and aids the development of youth, but the UK government is clearly blind to this." "This money is a perfect example of the attitude of the UK political groups regarding Wales and the Welsh language - namely unawareness and disrespect."