5. Statement by the Minister for Education: The Estyn Annual Report 2019-2020

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:21 pm on 19 January 2021.

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Photo of Caroline Jones Caroline Jones UKIP 5:21, 19 January 2021

Thank you for your statement, Minister, and I would like to place on record my thanks to the chief inspector and his team and wish him well in the future. Also, a huge 'thank you' to all the teachers and staff who have done all they can to limit the impact the pandemic has had on young people's education during the past 12 months.

The chief inspector highlighted, in his report, how digital learning could complement traditional teaching and learning in future. So, what plans do you have to enable and encourage improvements to digital learning going forward? How do you see remote learning developing in the short-to-medium term, and how will the Welsh Government drive innovation in this space? Will the Welsh Government be investing in open-source learning platforms and ensuring that all public investments in technology will not lead to the development of proprietary tools and platforms?

And finally, Minister, the COVID pandemic has highlighted just how wide the digital divide really is. So, what discussions have you had with colleagues about ways to close the divide and be prepared for future pandemics? Diolch yn fawr.