English: It's true to say, as the Minister said, that this area has been one that has been politically contentious and complex over the years, and now that I'm finishing my elected office, I would like to reminisce and say this is how I started, by being student president at Aberystwyth University and campaigning against the introduction of any fees here in Wales, notwithstanding top-up fees that were eventually introduced sadly by the Labour Government, and that has meant the slippery slope towards more marketisation in higher education institutions whether we like it or not. In an ideal world, I'd like to see universality again, I'd like to see students not having to pay for their education, but the reality is we are where we are and I do believe, Minister, that you have gone further than many other Ministers in making sure that we can look at how students are supported, their living costs, and taking children out of poverty, and I will say that, from my perspective, I would like to congratulate you on that, and to say it will be for other people in future years to take on the mantle to carry this on when we have both gone to other places, should I say. We've also supported many of the changes in the Diamond reforms, and I think it's important to say that it had quite a lot of cross-party support, especially with regard to part-time learning and flexible learning. I'd like to see that developed post pandemic, because it's a decision people want to make, and I think it's clear that people want to do that and they want to be able to be as flexible as they possibly can with life changes or family situations as they are at the moment. But I'd like to focus on a few key areas, if that's okay. You told me in an education question response in 2019 that university recruitment was not a question for you, yet we have a situation where almost half of new Welsh undergraduates leave our country every year, and I simply don't think that that's acceptable, and we would like to be able to reverse that. I do recognise that you've done that, and you're working towards doing that with postgraduate study, but when we are seeing so many young people leave Wales, I would want to be trying to look at alternatives to at least try and encourage them back, potentially through postgraduate study, but also to think about staying in Wales in the first place, and I genuinely believe that a Government should have more leadership in this regard and not leave it to the higher education institutions to do that. We want to see a Government take major steps forward. Yes, people will have their own choice of where to go, but if we want to develop our economy, if we want to develop the communities around our HE sector, academics and those in higher education institutions tell me that it's necessary for students to feel that they want to study more so here in Wales, so that whole community network can be progressed here in Wales. So, I'd like to hear your opinion. I think it probably will differ from mine, but we are where we are. On the resilience of the HE sector, we can't ignore some of the issues that have arisen or come to light in relation to COVID. The fact is that many Welsh universities are struggling financially, and it's not just regarding COVID. Many institutions are struggling to compete in a heavily marketised HE environment. Three of the 21 UK universities identified as most at risk of insolvency are in Wales. So, when we're talking about resilience, what more can we do to ensure that universities here in Wales are protected into the future? And my final point is that I agree that much has been done to change the outlook in higher education, but we have seen cuts to further education and, of course, many HE courses are delivered in a further education environment. So, I would like to hear your opinion as to how we can try and reverse that decline in the future, albeit I understand that you came to an agreement with Plaid Cymru for additional money in the last budget. But I think further education has been somewhat forgotten sometimes in the debate around these issues, and I would like to see more emphasis on that. But, thank you for all your hard work in this area.
Welsh: Mae'n wir dweud, fel y dywedodd y Gweinidog, y bu'r maes hwn yn un wleidyddol ddadleuol a chymhleth dros y blynyddoedd, a chan fy mod bellach yn gorffen fy swydd etholedig, hoffwn hel atgofion a dweud mai dyma sut y dechreuais, drwy fod yn llywydd myfyrwyr ym Mhrifysgol Aberystwyth ac ymgyrchu yn erbyn cyflwyno unrhyw ffioedd yma yng Nghymru, er gwaethaf y ffioedd ychwanegol a gyflwynwyd yn y pen draw gan y Llywodraeth Lafur, ac mae hynny wedi golygu'r llwybr llithrig tuag ar farchnadeiddio mewn sefydliadau addysg uwch pa un a ydym yn hoffi hynny ai peidio. Mewn byd delfrydol, hoffwn weld cyffredinolrwydd eto, hoffwn weld myfyrwyr yn peidio â gorfod talu am eu haddysg, ond y gwir amdani yw dyma lle yr ydym ni ac rwy'n credu, Gweinidog, eich bod wedi mynd ymhellach na lawer o Weinidogion eraill i sicrhau y gallwn edrych ar sut y caiff myfyrwyr eu cefnogi, eu costau byw, a chodi plant o dlodi, a dywedaf, o'm safbwynt i, yr hoffwn eich llongyfarch ar hynny, a dweud mai mater i bobl eraill yn y dyfodol fydd ymgymryd â'r gwaith i barhau â hyn pan fydd y ddau ohonom ni wedi mynd i leoedd eraill, dylwn i ddweud. Rydym hefyd wedi cefnogi llawer o'r newidiadau yn niwygiadau Diamond, ac rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig dweud ei fod wedi cael cryn dipyn o gefnogaeth drawsbleidiol, yn enwedig o ran dysgu rhan-amser a dysgu hyblyg. Hoffwn weld hynny'n datblygu ar ôl y pandemig, oherwydd y mae'n benderfyniad y mae pobl eisiau ei wneud, ac rwy'n credu ei bod yn glir bod pobl eisiau gwneud hynny ac maen nhw eisiau bod mor hyblyg ag y gallant gyda newidiadau mewn bywyd neu sefyllfaoedd teuluol fel y maen nhw ar hyn o bryd. Ond fe hoffwn i ganolbwyntio ar rai meysydd allweddol, os yw hynny'n iawn. Dywedoch wrthyf mewn ymateb i gwestiwn addysg yn 2019 nad oedd recriwtio mewn prifysgolion yn gwestiwn i chi, ac eto mae gennym ni sefyllfa lle mae bron hanner yr israddedigion newydd yng Nghymru yn gadael ein gwlad bob blwyddyn, ac nid wyf yn credu bod hynny'n dderbyniol, a hoffem allu gwrthdroi hynny. Rwy'n cydnabod eich bod wedi gwneud hynny, ac rydych yn gweithio tuag at wneud hynny gydag astudiaethau ôl-raddedig, ond pan fyddwn yn gweld cynifer o bobl ifanc yn gadael Cymru, byddwn eisiau ceisio edrych ar ddewisiadau amgen i geisio eu hannog yn ôl o leiaf, o bosibl drwy astudiaethau ôl-raddedig, ond hefyd i feddwl am aros yng Nghymru yn y lle cyntaf, a chredaf o ddifrif y dylai Llywodraeth gynnig mwy o arweiniad yn hyn o beth a pheidio â'i gadael i'r sefydliadau addysg uwch wneud hynny. Rydym ni eisiau gweld Llywodraeth yn cymryd camau mawr ymlaen. Bydd, bydd gan bobl eu dewis eu hunain ynghylch lle i fynd, ond os ydym ni eisiau datblygu ein heconomi, os ydym ni eisiau datblygu'r cymunedau o amgylch ein sector addysg uwch, mae academyddion a'r rhai mewn sefydliadau addysg uwch yn dweud wrthyf ei bod yn angenrheidiol bod myfyrwyr yn teimlo eu bod eisiau astudio mwy yma yng Nghymru, fel y gellir datblygu'r rhwydwaith cymunedol cyfan yma yng Nghymru. Felly, hoffwn glywed eich barn. Credaf y bydd yn wahanol i fy marn i, mae'n debyg, ond dyma lle yr ydym ni. O ran cydnerthedd y sector addysg uwch, ni allwn anwybyddu rhai o'r materion sydd wedi codi neu sydd wedi dod i'r amlwg mewn cysylltiad â COVID. Y ffaith yw bod llawer o brifysgolion Cymru yn cael trafferthion ariannol, ac nid yw'n ymwneud â COVID yn unig. Mae llawer o sefydliadau'n ei chael hi'n anodd cystadlu mewn amgylchedd addysg uwch sydd ar drugaredd y farchnad i raddau helaeth iawn. Mae tair o'r 21 o brifysgolion yn y DU y nodwyd eu bod yn wynebu'r risg fwyaf o ansolfedd, yng Nghymru. Felly, pan fyddwn yn sôn am gydnerthedd, beth arall y gallwn ei wneud i sicrhau bod prifysgolion yma yng Nghymru yn cael eu diogelu i'r dyfodol? A'm pwynt olaf yw fy mod yn cytuno bod llawer wedi'i wneud i newid y rhagolygon mewn addysg uwch, ond rydym ni wedi gweld toriadau i addysg bellach ac, wrth gwrs, mae llawer o gyrsiau addysg uwch yn cael eu darparu mewn amgylchedd addysg bellach. Felly, hoffwn glywed eich barn ynghylch sut y gallwn geisio gwrthdroi'r dirywiad hwnnw yn y dyfodol, er fy mod yn deall ichi ddod i gytundeb â Phlaid Cymru ynghylch arian ychwanegol yn y gyllideb ddiwethaf. Ond rwy'n credu bod addysg bellach wedi cael ei hanghofio weithiau yn y ddadl ar y materion hyn, a hoffwn weld mwy o bwyslais ar hynny. Ond, diolch am eich holl waith caled yn y maes hwn.