English: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I formally move the motion on the order paper. As I set out last week, following advice from the chief medical officer and Public Health Wales, it was recommended that secondary schools move to remote learning from 14 December until the end of term. As everybody in this Chamber is well aware, rates of transmission are currently increasing, and we are sadly on course to having 2,500 people with coronavirus in hospital by Christmas Day. While I am delighted with the offer that we were able to make yesterday with regard to asymptomatic testing for schools, and the announcement of a vaccination programme that began last week, these interventions and these processes will take time to take effect. We need to continue to put in place the necessary restrictions to protect the NHS and to save lives. We recognise, as we did during the firebreak, that it is much more difficult for primary and special school-age children to undertake self-directed learning. That is why we have encouraged primary and special schools to continue to stay open, unless of course there are compelling and clear public health and safety reasons for them not to be able to do so. Having spoken to local education leaders, we are increasingly confident that schools and colleges have the online learning in place to continue to ensure that our young people continue to learn. However, Deputy Presiding Officer, it is really important for me to state this: this is not an early Christmas break. Critically, our secondary and FE learners should be at home learning at this time. We all need to do what we can do to minimise contact with others, and to make a real difference to the course of this virus and, ultimately, to save lives. I would appeal to the young people of Wales who have seen their education in school disrupted once again to follow this advice. I also want to be clear that schools are regulated and controlled settings, and there is no new evidence to suggest that schools are no longer safe. The majority of transmission appears to continue to be through community contacts and activities around the school environment, rather than the school environment itself. As we begin vaccinating, we can be rightly optimistic for a better 2021. But, at this time, we have to be cautious, and we must still keep working together to keep Wales safe and to keep our young people learning.
Welsh: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Dirprwy Lywydd. Cynigiaf y cynnig yn ffurfiol ar y papur trefn. Fel y nodais yr wythnos diwethaf, yn dilyn cyngor gan y prif swyddog meddygol ac Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru, argymhellwyd bod ysgolion uwchradd yn dechrau dysgu o bell o 14 Rhagfyr tan ddiwedd y tymor. Fel y gŵyr pawb yn y Siambr hon yn dda, mae cyfraddau trosglwyddo yn cynyddu ar hyn o bryd, ac yn anffodus rydym ni ar y trywydd iawn i gael 2,500 o bobl yn yr ysbyty erbyn Dydd Nadolig yn dioddef o'r coronafeirws. Er fy mod i wrth fy modd gyda'r cynnig yr oeddem yn gallu ei wneud ddoe ynglŷn â phrofi'r rhai asymptomatig mewn ysgolion, a'r cyhoeddiad am raglen frechu a ddechreuodd yr wythnos diwethaf, bydd yr ymyriadau hyn a'r prosesau hyn yn cymryd amser i ddod i rym. Mae angen inni barhau i roi'r cyfyngiadau angenrheidiol ar waith i ddiogelu'r GIG ac i achub bywydau. Rydym ni yn cydnabod, fel y gwnaethom ni yn ystod y cyfnod atal byr, ei bod hi'n llawer anoddach i blant oedran ysgol gynradd a'r rhai sydd mewn ysgolion arbennig, ddysgu ar eu cymhelliant eu hunain. Dyna pam yr ydym ni wedi annog ysgolion cynradd ac arbennig i barhau i aros ar agor, oni bai, wrth gwrs, fod rhesymau cadarn a chlir dros iechyd a diogelwch y cyhoedd iddyn nhw beidio â gallu gwneud hynny. Ar ôl siarad ag arweinwyr addysg lleol, rydym ni yn fwyfwy hyderus bod gan ysgolion a cholegau y dulliau dysgu ar-lein ar waith i barhau i sicrhau bod ein pobl ifanc yn parhau i ddysgu. Fodd bynnag, Dirprwy Lywydd, mae'n bwysig iawn imi ddatgan hyn: nid gwyliau Nadolig cynnar yw hwn. Yn hollbwysig, dylai ein disgyblion uwchradd ac addysg bellach fod yn dysgu gartref ar hyn o bryd. Mae angen i bob un ohonom ni wneud yr hyn y gallwn ni ei wneud i leihau cyswllt ag eraill, ac i wneud gwahaniaeth gwirioneddol i hynt y feirws hwn ac, yn y pen draw, i achub bywydau. Byddwn yn apelio ar bobl ifanc Cymru sydd wedi gweld tarfu ar eu haddysg yn yr ysgol unwaith eto i ddilyn y cyngor hwn. Rwyf hefyd eisiau bod yn glir bod ysgolion yn lleoliadau sy'n cael eu rheoleiddio a'u rheoli, ac nid oes tystiolaeth newydd i awgrymu nad yw ysgolion yn ddiogel mwyach. Mae'n ymddangos bod y rhan fwyaf o'r trosglwyddo yn parhau i fod drwy gysylltiadau a gweithgareddau cymunedol cysylltiedig â'r ysgol, yn hytrach nag amgylchedd yr ysgol ei hun. Wrth i ni ddechrau brechu, gallwn fod yn gadarnhaol iawn ar gyfer gwell 2021. Ond, ar hyn o bryd, mae'n rhaid i ni fod yn ofalus, ac mae'n rhaid i ni barhau i weithio gyda'n gilydd i gadw Cymru'n ddiogel ac i sicrhau fod ein pobl ifanc yn parhau i ddysgu.