Education (Scotland) Act 1872
| Territorial extent | Scotland |
|---|---|
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 6 August 1872 |
| Other legislation | |
| Relates to | Elementary Education Act 1870 (E&W) |
| Text of the Education (Scotland) Act 1872 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
The Education (Scotland) Act 1872 (
35 & 36 Vict. c. 62) made elementary education for all children between the ages of 5 and 13 mandatory in Scotland.[2]
The Act achieved a more thorough transfer of existing schools to a public system than the
33 & 34 Vict. c. 75) in England. It created popularly elected school boards which undertook a significant building programme.[3] The Scottish Act remains controversial because it caused substantial harm to the Scottish Gaelic language.[4][5] At the time it was criticised because it did not deal with secondary education and because it did too little to safeguard the tradition of the parish schools in Scotland.[6]
Background
In 1866 the government established the Argyll Commission, under
33 & 34 Vict. c. 75), but providing a more comprehensive solution.[7]
The Act
Under the act approximately 1,000 regional
Poor laws. This was enforced by the School Attendance Committee, while the boards busied themselves with building to fill the gaps in provision. This resulted in a major programme that created large numbers of grand, purpose-built schools.[7] Overall administration was in the hands of the Scotch (later Scottish) Education Department in London.[10] Demand for places was high and for a generation after the act there was overcrowding in many classrooms, with up to 70 children being taught in one room. The emphasis on a set number of passes at exams also led to much learning by rote and the system of inspection led to even the weakest children being drilled with certain facts.[7]
Effect on Gaelic
The Education (Scotland) Act 1872 effectively put an end to non-English medium education and repressed
Scottish Gaelic medium education, with pupils being punished for speaking the language.[11] Pupils were physically punished if caught speaking in Gaelic and beaten again if they did not reveal the names of other students speaking Gaelic.[4] The effect of the education act upon the Gaelic language has been described as "disastrous"[12] and by denying the value of Gaelic culture and language, contributed to destroying the self-respect of Gaelic communities.[13] It was a continuation of a general policy (by both Scottish and, after 1707, British governments) which aimed at Anglicisation.[12]
As a result of facing punishment and humiliation for speaking Gaelic, many parents decided not to pass on the language to their children, resulting in
Scottish Gaelic medium education was not established until the 1980s, and the impact of the Act is still being felt in Gaelic communities today.[4][13]
See also
- Canadian Gaelic § Reasons for decline
- Vergonha in Occitan-speaking France
- Treachery of the Blue Books in Wales
- American Indian boarding schools
- Canadian Indian residential school system
- Specific devices for punishing children using the "wrong" language in schools:
- Welsh Not
- Symbole in France
- Dialect card (方言札, hōgen fuda) in Japan
References
- short title was conferred on this Act by section 80of this Act.
- ISBN 0-859762114.
- ISBN 0333587537.
- ^ a b c "1872 Education Act's impact on Gaelic to be explored". BBC News. August 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- ^ Robertson, Boyd (2001). Gaelic: the Gaelic language in education in the UK. Leeuwarden: Mercator-Education.
- ISBN 085224617X.
- ^ ISBN 0748601023.
- ISBN 0-19-211696-7.
- ISBN 978-0748620494.
- ^ "Education records", National Archives of Scotland, 2006, archived from the original on 31 August 2011
- University of Leiden.
- ^ ISBN 9780748607549. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ ISBN 9780857908346. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ISBN 9041110135. Retrieved 13 January 2017.