Teaching boost for the arts

Freelance artists and musicians who have lost work due to the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit will tutor primary school children across Scotland’s island communities, including Shetland.

Up to 50 tutors will work with schools to lead cultural workshops on Scotland’s indigenous languages and dialects, music, drama, dance and visual art.

Gaelic arts body Fèisean nan Gàidheal will deliver the programme and the University of the Highlands and Islands will offer support to the tutors, leading to accreditation for their work.

Minister for higher and further education, youth employment and training, Jamie Hepburn, said: “Many freelancers have experienced considerable financial hardship due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“On top of this, we know many touring musicians will also face challenges due to the UK’s exit from the EU for some time to come.

“This new programme will offer valuable re-training and employment opportunities for creative freelancers to work across all of our 93 inhabited Scottish islands.

“Not only will school children get to learn more of the rich cultural diversity across our island communities, this project will also help promote Gaelic, Shetlandic and Scots languages and local dialects distinctive to islands.”

A full report will appear in this week’s Shetland Times, out Friday.