TEACHERS from across Pontypool have criticised proposals that the competitive element of the Interschools Eisteddfod could be removed from future events.

The proposals were laid out in a meeting by the Eisteddfod Working Party in light of a poor uptake from schools in March.

However, the majority of the responses to Pontypool Community Council, who are set to discuss the findings at its Events Committee meeting this Wednesday, have been negative.

St Alban's Roman Catholic High School teacher Paul Cook said: “It is a pity to remove the competition element of the event as our kids thrive on the challenge.”

Pontypool’s Interschools Eisteddfod started in 1999 but a dwindling of numbers meant that this year’s event took place over just one day on Thursday March 17, with the second day being cancelled.

The working party invited schools to discuss how future events should take place in order to improve future Interschools Eisteddfods.

At the meeting on Tuesday April 26, the consensus was the competition element, which has been central to the event, should be removed.

It was stated that the event was ‘getting stale’ and it should be ‘a showcase of the Welsh language without the competition as some children felt intimidated by schools that were winning and spoke better Welsh’.

Since then, staff from four of the seven schools involved have sent letters disagreeing with this.

In a joint letter, teachers Jo Crane Brown and Donna Hall said: “A competitive element is necessary to add excitement and give the children something to aim for. Our pupils love the competitive element and we feel their enthusiasm would dip if this was taken away.

“Competition is a crucial life skill and it helps children to deal with winning and losing, being a good sport and dealing with the pressure of nerves. They like seeing how other schools perform the same thing they have learnt.”

St Cadocs and Penygarn ward Cllr Bryn Parker added: “It is difficult times with the Eisteddfod. It used to be three days and last year was just one due to the numbers.

“I agree that you need the competitive edge and it has to be in it but maybe there are ways of adjusting it so that schools can get more involved and help move the event forward.”

Other issues to be discussed on Wednesday includes the proposal to change the date of the event from March to July to be attract more schools to be involved as well as showcasing other talent such as a choir with dancing to make the event more of a showcase.