Education isn’t a political football.

This article has appeared on BBC Wales News today – University Applicants in Wales down 9.3%.

Image via Wikipedia

“Figures from university admission service UCAS show applications to higher education institutions in Wales are down on the previous year as the deadline approaches.”

However the article does say that there has been a late surge in applications during November and December, and that the majority of applications to Welsh institutions are from English students. So the news headlines include the same vague, scaremongering messages that the Labour Party used following the Government’s decision to raise tuition fees.

Which – no – I don’t totally agree with. The change in the policy however did include a change in the repayment system, which is far fairer now than it ever was under a Labour government.

If applications from English students have not suffered the same drop that applications from Welsh students has, surely the change in tuition fee policy can’t be to blame? It puts a hole straight through the rhetoric. The Welsh Government are subsidising fees meaning that applications from Welsh students should be at the same level, or even increased, if we follow the mentality that a hike in tuition fees is damaging to HE.

Surely this shows a failure on the Welsh Government’s behalf to push through the policy of their subsidising of Welsh students’ fees? Perhaps Leighton should go back to the drawing board. It also puts a hole straight through the rhetoric that the increase in tuition fees is damaging to HE and deters students from furthering their education – it’s the misguided rhetoric over tuition fees that is damaging to HE.

Education isn’t a political football, but didn’t stop the misleading messages peddled by politicians and the media.

 

Battling the rhetoric over the Welsh Liberal Democrat’s deal with Welsh Government.

It seems that some Plaid Cymru and Welsh Conservative members are fairly unhappy that they were not the ones to secure a deal with the Welsh Government. I’ve seen many call it a “pathetic deal” and claim that, in the case of the Tories, that the party have “endorsed Labour’s savage cuts to the NHS” – probably a case of sore losers. This shows that the Welsh Liberal Democrats are the effective and responsible opposition that Wales needs, holding the Government to account and ensuring that it delivers for Wales.

The package secures one of the party’s key manifesto priorities - an extra £20m for a new Pupil Deprivation Grant; Wales’ version of the Pupil Premium. It also includes a £38.9m economic stimulus package to stimulate the economy and protect jobs, including extra resources for the young recruits and skills growth Wales programmes.

The Pupil Deprivation Grant will ensure that the Government can reduce the effect of poverty on educational attainment, something that is vital to secure if we are to see the future economy and skills base of Wales progress. Just 1 in 5 children on free school meals gets 5A*-C good GCSE’s – the policy will ensure that each child that receives free school meals will receive an extra £450 in funding. Securing £71,001 for Cardigan alone - £511,200 for Ceredigion – a fair sum of money for a relatively small county.

Teachers and a teaching union have welcomed the new policy.

People have attacked the Pupil Premium claiming that it is just a policy which re-distributes existing money – but the argument is that we can do more for less. We have to do more for less.  However, doing more  for less doesn’t have to carry the same negative connotations it usually would. By effectively targeting new or old money, we can have a real impact on the lives of individuals. We can’t continue throwing money at projects and policies – we need to be far more effective in how money is spent and distributed.

I believed that Welsh politics had moved on following the Referendum, but First Minister’s Questions and reports have often left me doubting Wales’ progression since May – the lack of government programmes, the constant references to Westminster on devolved issues – this policy however, and the manner in which the need to redraft the Welsh budget has been approached, allows me to believe that Wales has moved forward, and we can continue to do so.

Letter: Welsh Liberal Democrat and Welsh Government budget deal.

I was pleased to hear of the agreement that the Welsh Liberal Democrats have brokered with the Welsh Government, securing a budget that provides the help that the most deprived children in Wales need to break the link between poverty and educational attainment.

For every child that receives free school meals schools will receive an additional £450 in funding to help raise standards. This could be used to reduce class sizes, put in extra learning support, or to buy additional books or equipment.

The additional £38.9m economic stimulus package is also something that we can be proud of and which will bring real benefit to the people of Wales. A stimulus package that will protect jobs and target the skills gap that exists in Wales, to help our faltering economy, and to build for the future. If Wales is to compete in the future world economy we need a strong skill base and strong economic foundations.

These plans will not only help the economy short term but also build towards the future. The Yes Referendum in March proved that Wales was ready to make the big decisions, and this deal is a step in the right direction.

Rhys Taylor

You mean, the Welsh Assembly isn’t bilingual?

The BBC posted an article today about the “Bilingual law plan for assembly after translation row”. The top line of the article reads: “Consultation begins on proposals to make Welsh and English the official languages of the Welsh assembly.”, the row being that Assembly proceedings are not posted in Welsh, even though Welsh and English are the official languages of the Assembly and have to be treated equally.

The new bill would ensure that the Assembly has to offer bilingual services/versions of the day to day proceedings of the Assembly.

Turns out that translations of Assembly proceedings were dropped during a time when Plaid Cymru formed a part of the Government. How can Plaid be a credible ‘Welsh’ party, a party who stand up for the rights of the language, and a ‘Welsh Wales’ and then allow the Assembly Commission to carry on without producing Welsh versions?

BBC also says that the Commissioners have considered using Google Translate. I mean, come on!