THE Welsh Language Society, Cymdeithas yr Iaith, has welcomed a promise by Welsh Education Secretary Lynne Neagle to keep rural Welsh language schools open.

Ms Neagle met the group on Wednesday, saying that in any consultation process all other options must be considered before closing a rural school that is on the government’s list in the School Organisation Code.

She said that the implementation of the plans was not a “box-ticking exercise.”

Ffred Ffransis from Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s education group said: “There is a belief among a number of local authorities that they can start planning from the beginning to close rural Welsh schools.

“[They believe] that they only have to go through the process of identifying some alternative options and consider the impact of closure on the community and on the language in a tokenistic manner.

“However, we are pleased to announce that Lynne Neagle was completely clear in her response to us that local authorities must start with a presumption against closing rural schools that are on the official list of schools to be protected.

“We will draw the attention of local authorities to this clear instruction.”

Today, former first minister Mark Drakeford set out plans for a major shake-up of Welsh education, saying his reform Bill aims to improve how the language is taught in schools.

He warned that too few children emerge as confident and competent speakers of the language despite compulsory lessons in Welsh.

Mr Drakeford told an education committee meeting: “We have an ambitious target of a million Welsh speakers by 2050.

“If we are to achieve that target then the contribution that the education system must make … is at the centre of that effort.”