WELSH-medium education should be set the correct conditions to allow for its growth, a conference will hear on Saturday.

Parents for Welsh medium Education (RhAG) will set out the message at its conference and AGM held at Ysgol Gymraeg Treganna in Cardiff at the weekend.

The highlight of the day for members and supporters will be the keynote address delivered by statistician Hywel Jones, who will be '"interpreting education statistics" within the context of Welsh-medium education.

Lynne Davies, RhAG’s national chair, said: "We must ask the fundamental question: are we seeing real progress, and is that happening quickly enough? On the whole we are moving in the right direction, but merely crawling towards the main goal.

Getting rid of the numerous barriers that continue to hamper the development of Welsh-medium provision must now be a real priority as should be a change in mentality from the continuing tendency to treat the whole sector in a way that is fragmented, isolated and peripheral."

Ceri Owen, RhAG development officer, added: "This is a partnership between central and local government with particular responsibilities carried by both sides. Local authorities need to establish clear and coherent targets based on the vision that they have a duty now to not only meet demand but rather to promote growth. On the whole there is not much evidence of that happening at present. Similarly, the Welsh Government needs to implement a robust evaluation and scrutiny process.

"The aspirations of parents coupled with the national political consensus must transpire into real and concrete outcomes on the ground – we cannot justify squandering any more time. ”