Translate the text from English to Welsh.



 
In my statement to the National Assembly for Wales on 17 July 2012 I outlined the progress being made in relation to the reconfiguration of higher education in south east Wales.  I announced a planned period of statutory consultation on the proposed dissolutions of Cardiff Metropolitan University higher education corporation and the University of Wales, Newport higher education corporation with a view to creating a new metropolitan university serving the whole of south east Wales by merging those institutions with the University of Glamorgan.  


I wrote to the institutions concerned on 6 August with details of the Strategic Outline Case for both the Government’s preferred option of a merger between all three institutions and, as a less beneficial solution though one which would still offer substantial educational gains, a merger between the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport alone.


The University of Glamorgan and The University of Wales, Newport continue to make swift progress towards merger before the end of 2013\.  I welcome their commitment to improving higher education provision in the region and will consider carefully their formal responses to the current statutory consultation in due course.  


I am, however, concerned by the publication this week of the Sunday Times University league table which shows that Cardiff Metropolitan University has fallen 17 places from its position in 2011 to 109th out of 122 institutions listed.  Sadly, Cardiff Metropolitan has also done poorly in the rankings relating to student satisfaction in the National Student Survey and its graduates achieve some of the lowest salaries among UK graduates.


Cardiff Metropolitan University has requested substantial additional information to supplement the Strategic Outline Case.  As I reminded the Assembly in July, higher education reconfiguration has been a longstanding objective of successive Welsh Governments, from the publication of 'Wales: The Learning Country’ in 2001, through to our current higher education strategy, 'For our Future’. The policy has enjoyed all\-party support in the Assembly.  It has been a prominent feature of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales’ corporate strategy. Over a year ago, I published the report from HEFCW on the future structure of higher education in Wales in response to which I received some 400 written representations from stakeholders, including Cardiff Metropolitan University.


Although I continue to believe that all consultees affected by these proposals have sufficient information available to them to respond meaningfully to the consultation process, in the interests of fairness, I have asked officials to make available to all parties to the consultation the information requested as quickly as possible.  I also propose to commence a further 12 week period of consultation from the date on which the information is provided.  


The Welsh Government remains committed to the development of a higher education sector in Wales based on a smaller number of stronger universities. We look forward to the further evidence resulting from the consultation responses.







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Yn fy natganiad i Gynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru ar 17 Gorffennaf 2012 amlinellais y camau a oedd yn cael eu cymryd i ad\-drefnu addysg uwch yn y De\-ddwyrain. Cyhoeddais gyfnod o ymgynghori statudol ar y cynnig i ddiddymu corfforaeth addysg uwch Prifysgol Fetropolitan Caerdydd a chorfforaeth addysg uwch Prifysgol Cymru, Casnewydd er mwyn creu prifysgol fetropolitan newydd i wasanaethu’r De\-ddwyrain i gyd drwy uno’r sefydliadau hynny â Phrifysgol Morgannwg.  Ysgrifennais i’r sefydliadau hynny ar 6 Awst gyda gan roi manylion yr Achos Amlinellol Strategol ar gyfer yr opsiwn a ffefrir gan y Llywodraeth, sef uno’r tri sefydliad. Amlinellais hefyd opsiwn llai buddiol – ond a fyddai’n dal i gynnig manteision addysgol sylweddol – sef uno Prifysgol Morgannwg a Phrifysgol Cymru, Casnewydd yn unig.

Mae Prifysgol Morgannwg a Phrifysgol Cymru, Casnewydd yn parhau i symud yn gyflym tuag at uno cyn diwedd 2013\. Rwy’n croesawu eu hymrwymiad i wella’r ddarpariaeth addysg uwch yn yr ardal, a byddaf yn ystyried yn ofalus eu hymatebion ffurfiol i’r ymgynghoriad statudol presennol maes o law.  

Fodd bynnag, mae’r tabl cynghrair prifysgolion a gyhoeddwyd yr wythnos hon yn y Sunday Times yn peri pryder imi, gan ei fod yn dangos bod Prifysgol Fetropolitan Caerdydd wedi syrthio 17 safle o gymharu â 2011 i fod yn 109fed o’r 122 o sefydliadau a restrir. Yn anffodus, canlyniadau siomedig a gafodd Prifysgol Fetropolitan Caerdydd yn yr Arolwg Myfyrwyr Cenedlaethol o ran boddhad myfyrwyr hefyd, ac mae cyflogau ei graddedigion ymhlith yr isaf yn y DU.

Mae Prifysgol Fetropolitan Caerdydd wedi gofyn am wybodaeth ychwanegol sylweddol i ategu’r Achos Amlinellol Strategol. Fel yr atgoffais y Cynulliad ym mis Gorffennaf, mae ad\-drefnu addysg uwch wedi bod yn amcan i gyfres o lywodraethau Cymru. Roedd yn amcan yn 2001 pan gyhoeddwyd 'Cymru: Y Wlad Sy’n Dysgu’, ac erbyn hyn mae gyda ni’r strategaeth addysg uwch 'Er Mwyn Ein Dyfodol’. Mae holl bleidiau’r Cynulliad wedi bod yn gefnogol i’r polisi. Mae wedi bod yn nodwedd amlwg o strategaeth gorfforaethol Cyngor Cyllido Addysg Uwch Cymru. Dros flwyddyn yn ôl, cyhoeddais adroddiad CCAUC ar strwythur addysg uwch Cymru yn y dyfodol. Derbyniais ryw 400 o ymatebion ysgrifenedig gan randdeiliaid, gan gynnwys Prifysgol Fetropolitan Caerdydd.

Er fy mod yn parhau i fod o’r farn bod gan bawb perthnasol yr ydym yn ymgynghori â nhw ddigon o wybodaeth i ymateb yn ystyrlon i’r broses ymgynghori, er mwyn bod yn deg rwyf wedi gofyn i swyddogion ddarparu’r wybodaeth y gwnaed cais amdani i’r holl  grwpiau perthnasol cyn gynted â phosibl. Rwy’n cynnig hefyd fod cyfnod ymgynghori pellach o 12 wythnos yn dechrau o’r dyddiad y darperir yr wybodaeth honno.

Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i fod wedi ymrwymo i ddatblygu sector addysg uwch yng Nghymru ar sail nifer lai o brifysgolion cryfach. Edrychwn ymlaen at y dystiolaeth bellach a ddaw i law yn sgil yr ymgynghoriad.