There is so much for the children of Wales to take pride in, so much to weep for, so much to regret. But, these are all their stories, and in order to learn from our own histories as a nation, then the children of Wales have to understand those histories. After all, the word 'Cymru' means a mixture, people coming together. Diverse stories of multiple colours—that's what we all are. And if we, as legislators, want to learn another lesson from our nation's history, it's the importance and fragility of the fate of our language—that's what that lesson should be.

I started this brief speech with the words of G.K. Chesterton, who said that the soul of a nation is its education. Well, if education is our soul, our heart is our language. As the old saying goes, 'Cenedl heb iaith, cenedl heb galon'—a nation without language is a nation without heart. That is our heritage. If we want to see growth in the Welsh language rather than seeing a slip back, we need to safeguard the status of the language in our curriculum. Placing English-medium education as the predestined option for children up to the age of seven is a damaging step that is contrary to the Government's policy of promoting the language. If individual governing bodies will have the ability to take decisions on the curriculum, this could lead to some pupils being deprived of the opportunity to learn the language.

National education requires national leadership. If the Welsh language is lost, then each and every one of us will lose out, not only those who speak Welsh, and it will not return. So, I urge the Government: be watchful; support our motion; support the children of Wales; and support our language.