THE TWO days of children’s competitions, currently split between learners (Monday) and fluent speakers (Tuesday) during Mòd week, could soon merge, as the overall level of fluency improves.
John Morrison, chief executive of Royal National Mòd organiser An Comunn Gàidhealach, said there was a decreasing gap in the standard of Gaelic between today’s young learners and those who were fluent, thanks mainly to Gaelic medium education.
Explaining that more and more children are reaching the required levels of fluency to compete on the Tuesday, he added: ‘People who would have previously appeared in Monday competitions (learners) are now competing on the Tuesday. There is a challenge for us to consider whether we end the current distinction between learners and fluent speakers.