🔗 Share this article Ministry of Defence Allocates Millions on Private Schools to Bypass Welsh Language Teaching The military facility prepares UK fighter pilots as well as personnel for mountain and naval missions The Ministry of Defence spends approximately £1m each year to place children to independent educational institutions in northern Wales because "public schools provide various lessons in the Welsh tongue". It paid over one million pounds in educational stipend in the northern region for 83 children of military families in 2024-2025, and nearly one million pounds for 79 children in the previous year under a established policy. An official representative stated "military families' children can experience frequent moves" and the allowance "aims to reduce interruption to their schooling". The Welsh party described it as a "complete waste of funds" and "an insult to our language" while the Tory party said parents should be able to choose the medium in which their children are educated. The Duke of Cambridge was stationed in the Anglesey base from 2010 to 2013 These numbers were acquired following a request under the public records law. The online portal of RAF Valley on Anglesey tells its workforce, "if you live and serve in north Wales, where public schools provide some or all lessons in the Welsh tongue, you can opt to enroll your kids to an English-language private institution". "Provided you are accompanied by your household at your posting, you can use this allowance to pay for the cost of tuition fees, field study trips/residential learning programs and regular commuting." A defense ministry representative told, "the purpose of the educational stipend in the northern region (the allowance) is to assist service families stationed to the region, where Welsh is the primary medium of public schooling". "As mobility is a aspect of service life, service children can face frequent moves and the this allowance seeks to minimize disruption to their education." "The MoD acknowledges the contributions military members, and their relatives undertake, and from DSA-NW helps with the expenses of independent day schooling provided in English." 'In Areas With Bilingual or Non-English Instruction' The benefit covers school costs up to a maximum of twenty-two thousand seven hundred fifty-five pounds annually, seven thousand five hundred eighty-five pounds per term, and is available to personnel residing in the regions of Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, the island or Flintshire and serving in these specific locations: The military base, the island The combined forces alpine training facility, the island Joint Services Mountain Training Wing, the town Wales University Officers' Training Corps (the corps), Bangor detachment, Caernarfon The eligible private schools are Treffos school, Llansadwrn, Anglesey; Rydal Penrhos Prep school in the town; St Gerard's school, Bangor and St David's College, the town. The relevant military policy document states that "disbursement of the allowance is limited to those regions where teaching in the public system is on a bilingual or non-English basis". Personnel stationed elsewhere in the multiple services of the military - the ground forces, the naval service and the Royal Air Force - can claim a continuity of education allowance which helps with residential and/or tuition fees up to a cap, with a minimum parental contribution of ten percent for each qualifying student. Welsh Conservative Senedd member the politician said "members of the UK military relocate across the nation and the world, and the ministry has always tried to guarantee that their kids have availability to continuity in schooling". "While we strongly endorse Welsh-language teaching throughout the country, it's crucial to recognize there are dual recognized tongues in our nation, English and Welsh, and local councils and education authorities should provide for both." "Families should always have the option to decide the medium in which their kids are instructed." The Welsh party's education spokesperson Cefin Campbell MS stated "not just is this a total misuse of funding, it is an insult to our tongue". "I cannot think of any justifiable cause to be allocating such money annually, on blocking youth residing in the country from having the opportunity to learn the Welsh language." "Dual-language ability enriches experience and aids the development of young people, but the British administration is clearly unaware to this." "These funds is a clear illustration of the attitude of the Westminster parties regarding the nation and the Welsh language - namely ignorance and insults."