English: Thank you for your statement, Minister. Your statement paints a very grand description of a very grand plan for a new curriculum, and I can't say that I disagree with the objectives of that curriculum. But, as you know, the Association of Directors of Education in Wales, along with the Welsh Local Government Association, have said that pupils' learning could be left to chance, because the plans are so vague. You have said, with no teaching experience at all - . You've had the audacity to say they don't understand the proposals or that they're working on out-of-date information. Well, if they don't understand the new curriculum or they're working on out-of-date information, the fault lies with the process that has been put in place for explaining that new curriculum and providing information on it. If essential people are out of date or don't understand the curriculum, then it's the Minister's responsibility to rectify it. So, I'd ask what the Minister's plans are to do that. I'd suggest that the real problem here is that the WLGA and the association of directors of education do understand the new curriculum, but they seem concerned about whether that curriculum is clear enough to enable teachers to deliver it, and do so consistently across Wales. They've said that in the area of language and literacy learning 'There are many high-level & grandiose themes at the expense of the nuts & bolts of language development - speaking, reading & writing' and that science and technology appear to be the 'least developed' area. This should be of concern to everybody. It would also appear that the 'nuts and bolts' - as they put it - of education are taking the second place to ambition for grandiose themes. My question is whether the Minister will take these criticisms on board or simply continue to deny that there may be a problem. I understand that the Minister wants more autonomy for teachers and schools, but does that not clash with the decision to force schools to adopt her vision of personalised assessments and sex and relationship education? So, Minister, how much more genuine autonomy do you want schools to have? And what areas would you not be happy to see them have more autonomy in? Qualifications are only as valuable as their reputation. The new curriculum will have to aim for a qualification at the end of it. But those qualifications are only as valuable as their reputation, as I've just said. And in recent years, we've seen employers lose a certain amount of faith in some university degrees, and some universities questioning the value of some exams taken at school. So, to what extent have you tested how the new curriculum is being received and regarded by universities and employers inside and outside Wales? Young people today are having to establish themselves in a job market that's far more globalised than anyone here has had to cope with. So, to what extent have you looked at the curriculums of countries such as India and China that are producing more and more young people with exceptional skills? It's all very well looking at other European countries, but it's the developing countries that are increasingly dominating the global jobs market. [ Laughter. ] You can laugh as much as you like, but it's the truth. So, I wonder if you agree with me that we should be looking at how our youngsters can cope with the competition from there, rather than countries that are already having difficulty competing globally. And on the employability subject, although we clearly do need to develop that side of things, the Minister ought not to lose site of the fact that Wales still needs an education system that encourages young people to become innovators, pioneers, experimenters and groundbreakers. So, whilst I agree that numeracy, literacy and digital skills are all important areas, because they equip people with the skills they need to cope with day-to-day living and employment, can you tell me, if anything, what you've done to make sure our future curriculum won't be just about training people to have employability skills, but also give them the encouragement and skills needed to become the out-of-the-box thinkers and entrepreneurs of tomorrow? What leadership have you given on that particular matter, Minister? And lastly, the introduction of a new curriculum gives the Minister ample opportunity in future years to say that poor performance could be just down to schools getting to grips with the curriculum rather than the curriculum itself being flawed. So, what measures will the Minister put in place so that we will be able to measure its successes and failures, and the reasons from them, from its start, rather than years later, when the Minister is no longer in place to be held accountable for her management of the creation of the new curriculum? Thank you.
Welsh: Diolch i chi am eich datganiad, Gweinidog. Mae eich datganiad yn rhoi disgrifiad crand iawn o gynllun crand iawn ar gyfer y cwricwlwm newydd, ac ni allaf fi ddweud fy mod i'n anghytuno ag amcanion y cwricwlwm hwnnw. Ond, fel y gwyddoch chi, mae Cymdeithas y Cyfarwyddwyr Addysg yng Nghymru, ynghyd â Chymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru, wedi dweud y gallai addysgu disgyblion ddigwydd trwy hap a damwain, gan fod y cynlluniau mor amwys. Rydych chi wedi dweud, heb unrhyw brofiad addysgu o gwbl - . Rydych chi wedi bod mor feiddgar â dweud nad ydyn nhw'n deall y cynigion neu eu bod yn gweithio ar wybodaeth henffasiwn. Wel, os nad ydyn nhw'n deall y cwricwlwm newydd, neu eu bod yn gweithio ar wybodaeth sy'n henffasiwn, mae'r bai ar y broses a roddwyd ar waith i esbonio'r cwricwlwm newydd a darparu'r wybodaeth amdano. Os yw'r bobl hanfodol ar ei hôl hi neu heb ddeall y cwricwlwm, yna cyfrifoldeb y Gweinidog yw cywiro hynny. Felly, byddwn i'n gofyn beth pa gynlluniau sydd gan y Gweinidog i wneud hynny. Byddwn i'n awgrymu mai'r broblem wirioneddol yn y fan hon yw bod y CLlLC a Chymdeithas Cyfarwyddwyr Addysg yn deall y cwricwlwm newydd, ond yr ymddengys eu bod nhw'n bryderus ynghylch a yw'r cwricwlwm yn ddigon eglur i alluogi athrawon i'w gyflawni, a gwneud hynny'n gyson ledled Cymru. Maen nhw wedi dweud ym maes dysgu iaith a llythrennedd Ceir llawer o themâu uchel ael a mawreddog ar draul hanfodion datblygu sgiliau iaith-siarad, darllen ac ysgrifennu a'i bod yn ymddangos mai gwyddoniaeth a thechnoleg yw'r maes 'lleiaf datblygedig'. Dylai hyn beri pryder i bawb. Mae'n ymddangos hefyd bod hanfodion dysgu - fel y maen nhw'n eu galw nhw - yn ail i'r uchelgais am themâu mawreddog. Fy nghwestiwn i yw a fydd y Gweinidog yn ystyried y beirniadaethau hyn neu'n parhau i wadu y gallai problem fodoli yma? Rwy'n deall bod y Gweinidog yn awyddus i gael mwy o ymreolaeth i athrawon ac ysgolion. Onid yw hynny'n gwrthdaro â'r penderfyniad i orfodi ysgolion i fabwysiadu eu gweledigaeth hi o asesiadau wedi eu personoli ac addysg cydberthynas a rhywioldeb? Felly, Gweinidog, faint yn fwy o ymreolaeth wirioneddol yr ydych chi'n dymuno gweld yr ysgolion ei chael? A beth yw'r meysydd na fyddech chi'n fodlon iddyn nhw gael mwy o annibyniaeth ynddyn nhw? Nid yw cymwysterau ond mor werthfawr â'r enw da sydd iddyn nhw. Bydd yn rhaid i'r cwricwlwm newydd anelu at gymhwyster ar ei ddiwedd. Ond nid yw'r cymwysterau hynny ond mor werthfawr â'r enw da sydd iddyn nhw, fel y dywedais. Ac yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf, rydym wedi gweld cyflogwyr yn colli rhywfaint o ffydd mewn rhai graddau prifysgolion, a rhai prifysgolion yn amau gwerth rhai arholiadau a gymerwyd yn yr ysgol. Felly, i ba raddau yr ydych chi wedi rhoi prawf ar sut dderbyniad sydd i'r cwricwlwm newydd gan brifysgolion a chyflogwyr yng Nghymru a thu hwnt? Mae pobl ifanc heddiw yn gorfod sefydlu eu hunain mewn marchnad swyddi sydd wedi globaleiddio yn llawer mwy nag y bu'n rhaid i neb yma ymdopi â hi. Felly, i ba raddau yr ydych chi wedi edrych ar gwricwla gwledydd fel India a Tsieina sy'n cynhyrchu rhagor eto o bobl ifanc gyda sgiliau eithriadol? Un peth yw edrych ar wledydd eraill yn Ewrop, ond y gwledydd sy'n datblygu sy'n dominyddu'n gynyddol yn y farchnad swyddi fyd-eang. [ Chwerthin. ] Gallwch chwerthin, ond dyma'r gwir. Felly, tybed a ydych chi'n cytuno â mi y dylem ni fod yn edrych ar sut y gall ein pobl ifanc ymdopi â'r gystadleuaeth oddi yno, yn hytrach nag oddi wrth y gwledydd sydd eisoes yn cael anhawster cystadlu'n fyd-eang. Ac ar bwnc cyflogadwyedd, er ei bod yn amlwg bod eisiau inni ddatblygu'r ochr honno o bethau, ni ddylai'r Gweinidog golli golwg ar y ffaith fod angen system addysg ar Gymru sy'n annog pobl ifanc i fod yn ddyfeiswyr, yn arloeswyr, yn arbrofwyr a thorrwyr tir newydd. Rwy'n cytuno bod sgiliau digidol, llythrennedd a rhifedd yn feysydd pwysig i gyd, oherwydd eu bod yn arfogi pobl â'r sgiliau sydd eu hangen i ymdopi â bywyd o ddydd i ddydd a chyflogaeth. Ond a wnewch chi ddweud wrthyf i beth yr ydych wedi ei wneud, os oes unrhyw beth, i sicrhau na fydd ein cwricwlwm yn y dyfodol yn ymwneud yn unig â hyfforddi pobl i ennill sgiliau cyflogadwyedd, ond y bydd yn rhoi'r anogaeth a'r sgiliau sydd yn angenrheidiol er mwyn bod yn feddylwyr y tu allan i'r bocs a bod yn entrepreneuriaid y dyfodol? Pa arweiniad yr ydych chi wedi ei roi o ran y mater arbennig hwnnw, Gweinidog? Ac yn olaf, mae cyflwyno'r cwricwlwm newydd yn rhoi digon o gyfle yn y blynyddoedd i ddod i'r Gweinidog haeru y gallai perfformiad gwael ddigwydd oherwydd bod yr ysgolion yn mynd i'r afael â'r cwricwlwm yn hytrach na bod diffyg yn y cwricwlwm ei hunan. Felly, pa fesurau a wnaiff y Gweinidog eu rhoi ar waith fel y byddwn yn gallu mesur ei lwyddiannau a'i fethiannau, a'r rhesymau amdanynt, o'r cychwyn, yn hytrach nag mewn blynyddoedd wedyn, pan na fydd y Gweinidog yn ei swydd mwyach i fod yn atebol am ei rheolaeth hi o luniad y cwricwlwm newydd? Diolch.