Madam,

Two news events presently coincide in a way that may turn out to be hugely advantageous to us here in Gwynedd. Alex Jones (Cambrian News, 27 June) reports the huge ‘Petition for.... history to be taught from a Welsh perspective.’ Meanwhile the clock is ticking for Coleg Harlech which is scheduled to close in September, as you reported (9 February).

Is not this concatenation of events the opportunity that Welsh historians; the WEA which owns the college; Gwynedd Council, with its responsibilities for education here; the Welsh government in Cardiff and universities in Wales and England, to seize the initiative and produce a plan for the future of the college. Rather than fall into the hands of the private sector, the college surely should be re-funded as a centre of excellence in Welsh history, from a Welsh standpoint. The college is itself an important part of Welsh political history with its fine history of mature student teaching, some from the mining communities, its publications in both Welsh and English and its truly superb library, with an exceptional collection of works on Welsh labour history.

Courses from access level to final degree and research levels in Welsh history could easily be relocated from Welsh universities to Harlech.

Think how the Red Book of Hergest, presently banished from Wales and held in the Bodleian Library under the control of Jesus College, Oxford, can be returned to its true home of Wales, to take pride of place in the Coleg Harlech Library. This would end the odd focus on Jesus College which, wrongly, implies that the atmosphere of Oxford was necessary for the production of good Welsh history and language and Welsh scholarship. Some of the best academics there would, I am sure, thrill to re-locate to this temple of Welsh excellence in Wales.

The students would be beating down the doors from all over the Welsh-speaking world to get into the college, as would the staff.

Funding? Well, the Welsh government would jump at the chance. Our MP, from what she says on 27 June about the petition, would back the project to the hilt.

Of course the WEA and the world of adult education would back the project all the way, delighted that the college would house younger students as well as mature students.

Where would the extra accommodation space come from? Why, from St David’s Hotel, appropriately re-built.

We need, then, a creative mind with the power, authority and funding to launch the project. The minister of education down there in the Senedd is in the right position to put the project into motion. The powers needed are those of compulsory purchase (for St David’s Hotel), the capacity to re-locate resources from English and Welsh universities to Coleg Harlech and the capacity to re-focus and call upon the necessary funding.

The plan seeks a revolution in Welsh education.

This is do-able. Let’s do it, Wales, let’s do it, Gwynedd, let’s do it, Harlech.

Yours etc,

Ian MacIntyre, St John’s Hill, Barmouth.

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