In response to a spate of riots which had broken out in Wales in the mid-nineteenth century, Westminster politicians commissioned a report on the state of the Welsh education system, suggesting that if education was improved, local morality and law-abiding behaviour would also be improved. The report of this commission came to be known as 'The Treachery of the Blue Books', after the colour of the covers of these reports. The commissioners were largely monoglot English speakers, who obtained most of their information from Anglican clergymen. As a result, they gained a poor opinion of the Welsh language, and their report led to a new policy of Welsh education, whereby elementary schooling was to take place solely in English.

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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Welsh Education Report". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 August 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=2046, accessed 23 November 2024.]