Darren Millar: First Minister, while we welcomed the postponement of the implementation of the curriculum, one aspect that still concerns us is the fact that secondary schools will be required to deliver two curricula for pupils in those schools for a period of five years. Now, that’s going to cause absolute havoc and I believe it’s a recipe for chaos for, particularly, newly qualified teachers coming...
Darren Millar: ...increase. More and more people are gambling behind closed doors and in secret. It’s gambling that is happening all around us constantly. Slots can be played in meetings, they can be played in the school car park while waiting to pick the children up from school, and they can even be played on shift breaks. It makes it harder to know about those people who need help and for others to be...
Darren Millar: Let me remind you of another promise that you made to the pupils and parents across Wales: you said that you were going to raise standards as education Minister, and yet, over the weekend, we saw you downplaying expectations about GCSE results for this summer. Just because we’re having reformed GCSEs doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re heading for poorer results. So, is the promise that...
Darren Millar: ...classrooms, will you now listen to the chorus of experts who have spoken up, condemned that policy and suggested that you spend the £36 million that you earmarked for it on other things in the education system instead, where you’ll get better a bang for your buck?
Darren Millar: ...to that at all in your statement today. You haven’t clarified your position on how you intend to ensure that individuals who are estranged from their families might be able to access higher education through this new regime, and it would be helpful if you could give us some clarity on that. In addition, there was a call from the Children, Young People and Education Committee for you to...
Darren Millar: ...debate this afternoon on behalf of the Welsh Conservative group. Before I go into my comments this afternoon, can I declare an interest as a part-time HE student here in Wales? Further and higher education has a broad and beneficial impact on our Welsh economy and society, but it’s not just those who are aged under 24 who can contribute to this positive impact. That’s why I’m glad,...
Darren Millar: ..., and of course many universities make those things available. So, in short, I do hope that there will be cross-party support for the motion that we’ve put down. We all agree, I’m sure, that education is a lifelong pursuit. We want to ensure that there’s that parity of esteem between part-time and full-time provision, and we want to ensure that there’s adequate independent careers...
Darren Millar: Thank you, leader of the house, for your statement. Can I call for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Education on the allegations of racism and discrimination against non-white teaching staff in Welsh schools? You’ll be aware that there were concerns that were raised by Race Council Cymru regarding allegations of racism, and that that could be putting applicants from ethnic...
Darren Millar: Diolch, Llywydd. Last week, you told the Children, Young People and Education Committee that the 2021 target was, and I quote, ‘not my target’, and you signalled that you were moving away from it. Yesterday we saw the First Minister slapping you down for what you said, restating the commitment to the 2021 target, a particularly unedifying performance from the First Minister, given that...
Darren Millar: ...and I quote, ‘an example of the absolute poverty of ambition’, and you accused the Government, at that time, of ‘settling for mediocrity’. Last week, you told the Children, Young People and Education Committee—
Darren Millar: ...done in the past, I think it’s important that we move together on this as a nation because we need to get it absolutely right. The Cabinet Secretary will be aware that I’m a firm believer that education underpins how Wales responds to the new challenges of the future, and it’s very important that we recognise also that education is a lifelong journey and that people’s careers and...
Darren Millar: Well, I’m not surprised it’s very small, and it’s going to get a darn sight smaller, isn’t it, while you keep underfunding our Welsh university sector and the Higher Education funding Council for Wales. The reality is that this is going to widen the funding gap between Welsh universities and universities over the border in England, which is going to make it more difficult for them to...
Darren Millar: ..., Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, on Friday, the day after the general election, there was a piece of news that suggested that your Government is cutting £28 million-worth of funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, which is obviously going to have a significant impact on Welsh universities. Why did you decide to bury bad news on that day, and how can you defend those cuts?
Darren Millar: ...and for an advance copy of the statement, which was distributed earlier on today? I want to welcome the announcement of the additional £5 million today in order to improve broadband speeds at our schools. We know that it’s only as recently as this year—earlier this year—that some schools have actually had a broadband connection at all, which I think we all agree is completely...
Darren Millar: Can I declare an interest at the start of this debate as a school governor at St Brigid’s School in Denbighshire? I want to thank the Minister for his opening speech. I think it is reassuring to know that he is listening to the concerns not just of the committees, but to the many other stakeholders who have been in touch with him in recent months. And I want to extend my thanks to him for...
Darren Millar: ...teachers about how best to respond to their needs, but that also acts as a benchmarking system across the whole of Wales, so that we can compare and contrast performance both between pupils within schools and, indeed, compare and contrast performance between different schools as well. We know that the current system isn’t perfect. There’s far too much self-evaluation, if you like,...
Darren Millar: ...protections in place for my children, and I’ve been really impressed, actually, with the resources that are out there if you seek them and if you look for them. So, I think the fact that many schools are quite rightly engaging with parents in order to encourage them to take up those opportunities is a good thing, and I was very pleased to hear that in your response, Minister, to the...
Darren Millar: ...just bewildered by the fact that there was an absence of technology in times before. Because the reality is that they are so used to, and so familiar with the technology that is all around us—in school and in the home—that when I talk about the fact that I was a youngster and my mum and dad bought me for Christmas a ZX Spectrum and it was the bees knees, and it used to take half an...
Darren Millar: ...until the spring of 2018. That doesn’t sound like the sort of pace that we need in order to address some of the real challenges that we’ve got in delivering high-quality leadership in the Welsh education system. Just yesterday, we heard some of your senior officials telling an Assembly committee that some leaders in Welsh schools were guilty of gaming the examinations system—not...
Darren Millar: .... That is an unacceptable barrier to recruitment here in Wales, and could help to stem the tide of people slipping away from the profession as a result of the poor reputation of the Welsh education system.
