Questions Without Notice from the Party Leaders

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:57 pm on 22 October 2019.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 1:57, 22 October 2019

Well, I agree that the introduction of the new curriculum requires a new qualifications framework to go with it—it's why Qualifications Wales is doing exactly that. I thought the contribution from the future generations commissioner, as ever, is an important contribution to the debate, as I thought the report today from the Welsh Youth Parliament on the same subject was particularly interesting and useful. It describes the danger that Welsh schools produce 'A* robots', by which it means that they teach their pupils very well to pass exams, but those children aren't necessarily equipped with the sort of thinking skills, the sort of critical capacity, that we know employers tell us that they are looking for in young people entering the workplace. I thought it was particularly interesting that that point of view comes from young people themselves. The Minister is meeting the Youth Parliament on Friday to discuss their report. Taking that and the work of the commissioner together, they will be important contributions to thinking about the way in which we have a qualifications approach that goes with the radical new curriculum we are introducing in Wales.