Dros ganrif yn ôl, yn ôl y pwt isod y deuthum o hyd iddo o’r ‘Abergavenny
Chronicle’ (22 Mai 1913) yr oedd rhai ysgolion yn yr hen Sir Fynwy yn cynnig y
Gymraeg fel pwnc i’r disgyblion. Ni wn a yw’r adroddiad yn cyfeirio at ysgolion
cynradd yn unig neu rai uwchradd hefyd; ni hyd at ba le y mae’r ‘Cymoedd Rhymni
a Thredegar’ yn ymestyn – O Rymni hyd at Bontlotyn? Neu’r Bargod? O Dredegar
hyd at y Coed-duon? Neu Bont-llan-fraith?
Ond yr hyn sydd yn od yw nad oedd gwersi Cymraeg yn y
gweddill o’r ysgolion – ar wahân i’r ysgolion yn Llanofer, Trinant a
Phantygaseg.
Yn Llanofer gwelaf o bosibl ddylanwad hir-barhaol y Gymraes
Augusta Waddington, sef yr Arglwyddes Llanofer (ganwyd Llanofer 1802-1896), neu
yn ôl ei henw barddol Gwenynen Gwent, a osododd fri ar y Gymraeg yn y parthau
hyn o’r wlad pan oedd y werin yn dechrau troi eu cefn arni (o herwydd addysg yn
Saesneg, y mewnlifiad o siroedd gorllewinol Lloegr ac o Iwerddon, ayyb).
Ond pam Trinant a Phantygaseg, tybed?
Monmouthshire and Welsh.
According to a recent report of his Majesty’s inspectors of
education in Monmouthshire, Welsh is taught in all the schools of the Rhymney
and Tredegar Valleys, as well as Llanover, Trinant and Pantygasseg. The
education authority (states the report) has had considerable difficulty in
finding teachers with adequate knowledge of the language to undertake its
instruction.
It was pleasing to note, however, that evening classes for
teachers had been established to meet this difficulty, and teachers had availed
themselves of these classes and had benefited considerably thereby. The
attitude of the teachers towards the language was friendly and sympathetic.
A General Weakness.
In the majority of the schools the basis of the teaching was
the direct method. A general weakness observable in the Welsh teaching was the
lack of practice by the child of continuous and connected speech. It was
pleasing to note that in one infants’ school “canu penhillion” [sic; =
penillion] had been introduced with conspicuous success.
