Editor

Who had the daft idea teaching children up to age seven only in Welsh in this day and age?

When I started school in Swyddffynnon in 1938 at the age of four and a half, all the children were from Welsh homes, and only two of us who started that year knew any English words.

Luckily my mother had left secondary school in Tregaron at 15 during the First World War and had gone with an older sister to London to work in Mount Pleasant Post Office and had realised how poor her English was, she was put to censor letters coming in from soldiers in case they were giving too much away, as many of these letters were written in Welsh. Therefore my mother had taught me many words in both languages.

Do they realise that English speaking parents will not be able to help them and will not have a clue when they bring out odd Welsh words?

I think children should be encouraged to be bilingual after their first school year and throughout their school life, and then decide.

After all if you have English you can go to most places in the world, but Welsh only opens the doors to Wales.

Mag Corfield Bow Street

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