Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 2:39 pm on 14 July 2021.

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Photo of Siân Gwenllian Siân Gwenllian Plaid Cymru 2:39, 14 July 2021

(Translated)

May I remind you that we've heard this before? Your predecessor talked about a 10-year plan to increase the number of Welsh-medium teachers, but we're still waiting to see that plan, and to see it implemented. So, I very much hope that this will be a priority of yours.

Like me, you will have been shocked by the ugly racism that's faced three black England football players since Saturday's match. The 'Show Us You Care' report by Race Alliance Wales looks at the cumulative impact of racism on young people in the Welsh education system, and the findings are shocking and very worrying. They show that there is a very real problem in our secondary schools, but that racism and racist bullying happens in the primary sector too. There is no doubt that racism exists within our education system in Wales, and that we must face up to that and tackle it. 

In their report, Race Alliance Wales have made a number of suggestions as to how to address this problem, including better mechanisms for reporting racist incidents and the need to recruit and support educators from different ethnic backgrounds. Now, given this report, can you outline how your Government intends to tackle racism in schools? And will you implement the recommendations that have been made by Race Alliance Wales?