English: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I move the amendments in the name of the Welsh Conservatives. May I thank Plaid Cymru for bringing this matter of Welsh as a second language back to the Chamber so soon in the Assembly term? The Government amendment shows that there are constraints, might we say, on your cosy relationship after all. But, by bringing it back so quickly, it shows that some things can be done quickly, and we support entirely the point that the Welsh Government has wasted time since Sioned Davies's report. For that reason, we would prefer to support the motion without the Government amendment, if possible, because we are here to hold the Government to account, and to remind the people of Wales that young people are still entering and leaving our education system without the advantage that the system can give them, namely better Welsh language skills. Also, deleting point 4 of the motion would mean refusing to face the central challenge, which is workforce skills. It's impossible to say anything meaningful about the quality of qualifications, or to move forward in terms of the difference between Welsh second language and first language, unless you face the fact that teachers and education professionals have to achieve this. The capacity isn't there yet to do that. I would like to focus on these matters of quality and ability, and why we have tabled our amendments, as they stand, to focus on qualifications. The introduction of exams in 2020 or the following year means that anyone starting in year 7 this year or next year would sit those exams. They would have had experience of the English-medium primary sector as it is now. Despite the fact that the Welsh language has been a compulsory part of the curriculum at all ages since 1999, it is fair to say that many children will reach their secondary schools with a lack of skills, understanding and confidence to start Welsh language classes, as they would be for French classes. For some, they would consider this as another lesson in modern languages, rather than an opportunity to develop a core part of their identity and everyday skills. So, my question for this cohort of young people is: how will the new curriculum help them to achieve a higher level than what has been in existence in the past? Their experience in primary school will be no different to that of the previous cohort, and that experience, individual young people's talents, and the change in teachers' expectations, I think, will mean that it would be unrealistic to expect this cohort to sit the same exam as their peers who have grown up through the Welsh-medium system. This doesn't mean that the content of the course in secondary school for Welsh as a second language can't be challenging. But there's no point having that discussion about a more challenging course included in a continuum, unless children arrive at secondary school having had more contact with the Welsh language, and it being a core part of their experience in primary school. I don't want pupils to fail their exams in 2020 or 2021 because their earlier years in school have failed to prepare them. That's why points 4 (b) and 4 (c) shouldn't be deleted from this motion - because they are relevant to the primary sector as well. There's one problem with this motion, which is the timetable. If fundamental change for the role of Welsh language in our English-medium schools was to be implemented today, then those children wouldn't sit GCSEs until 2027. They are the ones who have the chance to be able to sit the same exams as their Welsh-medium peers. So, what's going to happen to the exam in the meantime to protect its reputation and the number of people who pass it? Are we considering steps similar to the science GCSE, with a differential curriculum and exams, perhaps? I don't know what those plans are at present, but this is not a long-term aim. The aim of our amendments today is to strengthen the message that, in order to normalise the Welsh language for everyone, to create an education system that can do this, and exams that reflect this aim, we have to start before children go to school. We have to include that workforce within points 4 (b) and 4 (c). That was just a point to remind, in point 4. I'm coming to an end here. The Welsh language is a skill in the workplace, it is a communication skill and is part of our way of life. It doesn't end at school. Thank you.
Welsh: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n cynnig gwelliannau'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig. A gaf i ddiolch i Blaid Cymru am ddod â mater y Gymraeg fel ail iaith yn ôl i'r Siambr mor gyflym y tymor hwn? Mae gwelliant y Llywodraeth yn dangos bod yna gyfyngiadau, a gawn ni ddweud, ar eich perthynas glyd, wedi'r cyfan. Ond, gan ddod â fe nôl mor glou, mae'n dangos y gall rhai pethau gael eu gwneud yn gyflym, ac rydym yn cefnogi'n llwyr y pwynt bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gwastraffu amser ers adroddiad Sioned Davies. Am y rheswm hwnnw, byddai'n well gennym ni gefnogi'r cynnig heb welliant y Llywodraeth, os yn bosib, oherwydd ein bod yma i ddal y Llywodraeth i gyfrif ac atgoffa pobl Cymru bod pobl ifanc yn dal i gyrraedd a gadael ein system addysg heb fantais y gall y system ei rhoi iddynt, sef sgiliau iaith Gymraeg gwell. Hefyd, byddai dileu pwynt 4 y cynnig yn gwrthod wynebu her ganolog, sef sgiliau'r gweithlu. Mae'n amhosib dweud unrhyw beth ystyrlon am ansawdd cymwysterau, neu symud ymlaen o'r gwahaniaeth rhwng iaith gyntaf ac ail iaith, oni bai eich bod yn wynebu'r ffaith bod rhaid i athrawon a gweithwyr addysg proffesiynol eraill gyflawni hyn, ac nid yw'r capasiti yno eto i wneud hynny. Hoffwn ganolbwyntio ar y materion yma: ansawdd a gallu, a pham rydym ni wedi cyflwyno ein gwelliannau fel y maent mewn dadl am gymwysterau. Mae cyflwyno arholiadau yn 2020 neu'r flwyddyn wedyn yn golygu y byddai unrhyw un sy'n dechrau blwyddyn 7 eleni neu flwyddyn nesaf yn mynd i sefyll yr arholiadau hynny. Bydden nhw wedi cael y profiad o'r system gynradd cyfrwng Saesneg fel y mae nawr. Er gwaethaf y ffaith bod y Gymraeg wedi bod yn rhan orfodol o'r cwricwlwm ar gyfer pob oedran ers 1999, mae'n deg dweud y bydd llawer o blant yn cyrraedd drws eu hysgol uwchradd gyda chyn lleied o gyfarparu o ran sgiliau, dealltwriaeth a hyder i ddechrau gwersi Cymraeg ag y byddent â gwersi Ffrangeg. I rai, bydden nhw'n ei hystyried fel gwers arall am ieithoedd modern yn hytrach na siawns i ddatblygu rhan greiddiol o'u hunaniaeth a'u sgiliau bob dydd. Felly, fy nghwestiwn ar ran y garfan hon o bobl ifanc yw: sut bydd y cwricwlwm newydd yn eu helpu nhw i gyflawni safon uwch yn y tri agwedd yna - uwch na'r rhai sydd wedi mynd o'r blaen? Ni fydd eu profiad o ysgol gynradd yn wahanol i'r rhai a aeth o'u blaen, ac mae'r profiad hwnnw, dawn unigol pobl ifanc a'r newid yn nisgwyliadau athrawon, rwy'n meddwl, yn ei gwneud yn afrealistig i ddisgwyl i'r garfan hon o blant sefyll yr un math o arholiad â'u cyfoedion sydd wedi dod i fyny drwy addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg. Nid yw hynny, wrth gwrs, yn golygu na all cynnwys y cwrs ysgol uwchradd fod yn fwy heriol ac yn reddfol. Ond nid oes unrhyw bwynt cael cwrs mwy heriol ac uno i mewn i gontinwwm oni bai bod plant yn cyrraedd yr ysgolion uwchradd ar ôl llawer mwy o gyswllt â'r Gymraeg fel rhan annatod o'u profiad ysgol gynradd. Nid wyf am i ddisgyblion fethu arholiadau Cymraeg yn 2020 a 2021 oherwydd bod eu bywyd cynnar yn yr ysgol wedi methu â'u paratoi. Dyna pam na ddylai pwyntiau 4 (b) ac 4 (c) gael eu dileu o'r cynnig hwn - maen nhw'n berthnasol i'r sector cynradd hefyd. Fy unig broblem gyda'r cynnig hwn yw yr amserlen. Os byddai newid sylfaenol i le'r Gymraeg yn ein hysgolion cynradd cyfrwng Saesneg yn cael ei gyflawni heddiw, ni fyddai'r plant hynny yn cymryd TGAU tan 2027. Nhw yw'r plant sydd gyda'r siawns o wneud yr un arholiad â'u cyfoedion o ysgolion Cymraeg. Felly, beth sy'n mynd i ddigwydd i'r arholiad yn y cyfamser i amddiffyn ei enw da a'r safon a nifer y bobl sy'n ei basio? A ydym yn ystyried rhywbeth tebyg i TGAU gwyddoniaeth, gyda chwricwlwm ac arholiadau gwahaniaethol efallai? Nid wyf yn gwybod beth yw'r cynlluniau ar hyn. Ond, wrth gwrs, nid yw hwn yn nod hirdymor. Diben ein gwelliannau heddiw yw atgyfnerthu'r neges hon: i normaleiddio'r Gymraeg i bawb, i greu system addysg sy'n gallu gwneud hyn, ac arholiadau sy'n adlewyrchu hyn, mae'n rhaid i ni ddechrau cyn i blant fynd i'r ysgol. Rhaid cynnwys y gweithlu hwnnw dan bwyntiau 4 (b) a 4 (c). Dim ond pwynt atgoffa oedd gwelliant 4. Rwy'n dod i ben yn y fan hon. Mae'r Gymraeg yn sgil yn y gweithle, yn sgil cyfathrebu ac yn rhan o'n ffordd o fyw. Nid yw'n dod i ben pan fo drws yr ysgol yn cau. Diolch yn fawr.