LLAS News Blog

News articles of interest to higher education LLAS subject fields.

Thursday 14 April 2011

UHI cuts six Gaelic posts

Dismayed funders question viability of institution's language-promotion mission. Hannah Fearn writes

A Scottish university with a mission to preserve and develop the Gaelic language has axed six posts in its Gaelic team, leaving non-speakers in charge of the strategy.

Among the positions cut by the University of the Highlands and Islands, which gained university status earlier this year, is that of its Gaelic manager.
Times Higher Education

2 comments:

Martin J Wright said...

For clarification. The posts were admin and support roles - not teaching roles or researchers. Like all universities we are seeking to protect, as far as we can, funding to 'front-line' teaching and research in the face of substantial cuts to our funding. Unfortunately we have had to make these and other savings as a consequence. None of this will impact in any way on our Gaelic-language and Gaelic-medium teaching or Gaelic-related research.

Martin J Wright
University of the Highlands and Islands

UHI Staff Member said...

Mr Wright claims that the cuts will not affect teaching. Perhaps not, but they do illustrate the institution's stance regarding Gaelic. Gaelic is used for window dressing in UHI, as their antipathy to the term "OGE" (Gaelic for "UHI") shows.