Hefin David: 5. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on removing the boundaries between further and higher education? OAQ(5)0091(EDU)
Hefin David: ...to our economy, and they still do. In 2013-14, in that academic year, even after these destructive reforms were introduced, international students made up just under one fifth of those in UK education. If we go any further with these proposals with student visas, we are going to damage our economy. It’s therefore difficult to overstate the importance of overseas students to higher...
Hefin David: ...in agreement with Llyr Gruffydd’s speech. Particularly, I’d like to draw attention to points—it doesn’t happen very often, but there we go. [Laughter.]—4(d) and 4(e) in the motion. Higher education is an international vocation, and collaboration across nations in teaching and research is highly valued by the academic community. Indeed, I was, in my previous role as a senior...
Hefin David: ...with hundreds of others, I attended the funeral in Ystrad Mynach of my constituent Cyril Thomas, who passed away on 12 October last year. Cyril was a former assistant headteacher of Lewis Boys School in my constituency, where he taught both history and religious education. The brother of former champion boxer Eddie Thomas, Cyril worked as a miner before becoming a teacher and was president...
Hefin David: ...and their families. I’ll be 40 next year, but I remember—my father was a Rhymney valley district councillor, and I remember at the time feeling the incredible injustices of friends of mine in school on dinner tickets because their parents were on strike, and the difficulties and divisions that this caused in the school in which I grew up. I was fortunate my father didn’t pursue his...
Hefin David: ...of what it seeks to achieve, which is to bridge the gap between aspiration and practical achievement. I learned Welsh as a second language up to GCSE level, back when the option in English-medium schools was basically, ‘Take it or leave it’. I achieved an A grade but didn’t go on to take A-level Welsh because I still lacked the confidence to study further. That confidence I feel I...
Hefin David: The Minister will be aware of the excellent work done by the special needs school Trinity Fields, which is in the Caerphilly constituency, led by the headteacher, Ian Elliott, and his fantastic staff. I declare an interest here as a governor of that organisation. Like many of us in the Chamber, and the school’s leadership, we are in support of the principles of the additional learning needs...
Hefin David: 5. How will the proposed Additional Learning Needs (Wales) Bill support pupils with the most complex learning and medical needs in our special education schools? OAQ(5)0016(EDU)[R]
Hefin David: Okay, short, short version. Rhianon did a fantastic job as cabinet member for education and now she’s stepped down to be an Assembly Member. Last week, I visited Heolddu Comprehensive School, which has benefited from a new technology block thanks to Welsh Government funding, and Kirsty Williams was there to open it, and it was a great occasion—’I bawb ei gyfle’ is the motto of the...
