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Actions to promote and support the Scots language have been launched by the Scottish Government and Education Scotland.

The national Scots Language Policy, developed in association with key stakeholders, sets out the Scottish Government’s position on Scots, its aims for the Scots language and the practical steps it will take to achieve these.

It also sets out a range of actions that will be taken forward in coming months by Education Scotland’s Scots Language Co-ordinators.

The policy was launched by Dr Alasdair Allan, Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland’s Languages, at Education Scotland’s Scots in Schools Conference in Stirling.

He said:

“The Scottish Government has taken a number of steps to raise the profile of the Scots language and this policy underlines our commitment.

“As one of the three historical, indigenous languages of Scotland along with Gaelic and English, Scots has a valuable heritage. We have already seen a number of positive developments within the last year, most recently the launch of Creative Scotland’s own Scots language policy and the appointment of the new Scriever to the National Library of Scotland.

“We know there are over 1.5 million people in Scotland who identify themselves as Scots speakers. This policy will play an important role in continuing to show that the Scottish Government takes seriously the promotion and preservation of the Scots language.”

Jane Renton, Assistant Director at Education Scotland, said:

“This is a significant moment for Scots language. It is a living modern language which children in their tens of thousands bring to school every day.

“We have been working to promote and support Scots in the classroom. Our Scots Language Coordinators are helping to build respect and recognition of the language so it can be used in all areas of Scottish life. Children and young people can benefit from engaging with the rich heritage of Scots literature, and use of the language can help improve their literacy skills.

“Our Scots Language Ambassador scheme is also reaching into communities and helping to spread the language even further. We welcome this important national policy and look forward to working with partners to help deliver its ambitions.”

The Scots Language Policy can be accessed here: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/ArtsCultureSport/arts/Scots/ScotsLanguagePolicy