Perhaps one of the main problems facing the centralized school, though, is
the plurilingual intake of a large catchment area. This can have a negative effect on a minority language such as Scots Gaelic, which was mostly used in
village schools in the Highlands. When, however, these were closed and the
children sent to a large central school, they were found to adopt the
dominant English language (Mackay, 1969). Gaelic could no longer be
fostered here as it was in the small village school. There is sometimes,
however, the possibility for a minority language community to open its own
school, although this is very dependent upon the good will of the majority.
In Finland, for example, 18 children are needed to open an elementary
school for a language community (Ahlskog, 1969). Once a small school like
this has been opened, it is possible that it will gain more pupils than
originally planned, as other people decide to send their children there for a
variety of reasons, e.g. less stress, better teacher-pupil ratio, different
methods and principles of education. This could prove beneficial for the
vernacular concerned, though on the other hand parents might sometimes
be tempted to send their lesser gifted children there for the above mentioned
reasons, thus giving the school more quantity but less quality.