It was wonderful to meet Matko in person at the Eisteddfod in Pontypridd and to see the great progress he has made in his Welsh skills. Matko is 12 years old and lives in Slovakia. He has been attending Ysgol Sadwrn faithfully for some time. At the Eisteddfod, he had the opportunity to use the Welsh he has learned online in a real-life setting. Matko described coming to the Eisteddfod as a “truly special experience” and was delighted to be able to speak Welsh with others. Ysgol Sadwrn provides children like Matko with the opportunity to learn Welsh in a flexible and convenient way.
Through Ysgol Sadwrn, Matko has been able to improve his Welsh significantly. His father, Andrew, is very proud of his son’s progress and believes that online learning has helped Matko maintain his interest in the language. “He has improved amazingly,” said Andrew, who is confident that Matko will continue to use Welsh in the future.
In addition, Covid created an opportunity for online learning to become more popular, as more people have come to accept that online education can be effective. This has enabled Ysgol Sadwrn to offer Welsh lessons to children across the world, without the barriers and difficulties associated with face-to-face learning.
We are very proud to hear stories like Matko’s, and we will continue to offer opportunities for children from all over the world to learn Welsh through Ysgol Sadwrn.