Part of 1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education – in the Senedd at 1:45 pm on 2 November 2016.
Thank you for that comprehensive response. I’m pleased to hear that a meeting is due to take place because statements such as the ones we’ve heard from the UK Government will undermine the status of the UK, and, of course, Wales, as a result, as regards being an attractive place for international students. We have seen, with the UCAS statistics last week in terms of early applications for the next academic year, that there’s been a reduction of a third, in terms of Welsh universities, in terms of EU students, and an 11 per cent fall in terms of international students. Now, you say that a meeting is to take place, but I would like to know more about what proactive steps you are taking to restore and to enhance Wales’s reputation and the reputation of the universities in Wales as a destination for international students. So, what programmes will you put in place to promote Wales as a destination in light of these statements from the UK Government?