Welsh language A level entries are plunging across Wales at the same time as the Government aims to get more Welsh in schools and have one million speakers by 2050.
Numbers of school pupils taking A level second language Welsh at schools have more than halved in the last decade from 489 in 2008/9 to just 216 last year.
At the same time first language Welsh A level entries in schools fell from 304 in 2009-09 to 231 last year.
At other centres, including FE colleges and independent centres there were just 21 first language and 60 second language entries last year, according to data from StatsWales and exam board the WJEC.
In the face of the decline the Welsh Government has announced plans to increase the number of Welsh A-level students to more than a thousand by 2021.
It says this will increase the number going on to study Welsh at university and train to become teachers.
As the demand for Welsh medium school education increases and Welsh as a subject will be more prominent within the new school curriculum the government said it has made Welsh a priority subject and £145,000 will be pumped in next year to help it.
As well as increasing A level Welsh students to more than 1,000 there are also targets to increase the number of Welsh-medium primary teachers by 200, secondary school teachers by 400 and Welsh Language teachers in secondary schools by 100, compared to 2016.
“An increase in the number of learners taking Welsh at A-level is likely to increase the number who go on to become Welsh teachers or teach through the medium of Welsh,” the Welsh Government said in a statement.
Specific actions will target secondary school pupils, parents/carers and teachers by promoting career opportunities for Welsh language A-level students funded from the £145,000 in 2019/20.
There is less data available for Welsh language A level entry at FE colleges but figures from the Welsh Government show a rise in Welsh first language FE A level entries from just five in 2015/16 to 15 in 2016/17.
Education Secretary Kirsty Williams said:” “Ensuring all learners can use Welsh when they leave school is a key long-term commitment for the Welsh Government. A sufficient supply of Welsh-medium and Welsh language teachers is instrumental if we are to achieve this.
“We want to promote the benefits of studying Welsh at A-Level and increase the support for both learners and teachers, helping us towards our aim of increasing the number of teachers in order to reach our long-term goal of a million Welsh speakers by 2050.”
The decline of Welsh schools and the impact it's having on our language
Schools, universities and organisations including the Urdd and Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol will be inovolved. Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol was set up in 2011 by the Welsh Government to work with universities in Wales in order to develop Welsh-language courses and resources for students.
Dr Ioan Matthew, Chief Executive of Coleg Cenedlaethol Cymru, said: “Those who study Welsh have so much to offer in the world of work, including the teaching profession.”
The Iaith Athrawon Yfory incentive scheme for trainee teachers who want to teach Welsh or through the medium of Welsh will again be available for trainee teachers this September. Initial Teacher (ITE) students training to teach in Welsh this year can be eligible for incentives of up to £25,000.
