Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:07 pm on 11 December 2018.
Well, I did say that, but I said that about nine years ago. Of course, since then things have changed, and changed for the better. We now see the results improving. For example, we know that the young people of Wales are doing extremely well at A-level and we’ve seen progress in the grades that people gain at GCSE and, of course, we know that the people of Wales are pleased with the education system that we have. That doesn’t mean to say that we’re complacent and we’re saying, ‘That’s okay, then.' There is work to be done, of course, and we understand that and that work is being done by the Cabinet Secretary. But, as regards the way forward and ensuring that funding is available to schools and that funding is available to local authorities to pay teachers, they’ve been given that funding and it's crucial that they should spend that money on paying teachers' salaries. I think a great deal has changed over the past years and we now see things going in the right direction.