English: Thank you for your statement, Minister. Plaid Cymru is proud of the emphasis on promoting, expanding and developing lifelong education in our co-operation agreement with the Government and our collaboration on the establishment of a tertiary education and research commission. It's vital to ensure now that the commission's focus is on ensuring that Wales is more successful in its aim of becoming a second chance nation, following years of underinvestment and, indeed, cuts in the sector, and this is more important than ever before, as you've noted, bearing in mind the economic challenges that could dilute this ambition. Alongside fellow members of the Children, Young People, and Education committee, I visited Trinity Saint David's University's Swansea campus last week. As you will know, the age profile of students at that university is older than the sector average in Wales and the United Kingdom, and that, according to the university itself, is due to the emphasis on continuing professional development, upskilling and lifelong learning. I met students who spoke about the economic pressures they're under because they are older - economic pressures that have led to mental health issues, and stress too - which have impacted on their ability complete their programmes successfully. As we heard, half of Open University students in Wales live in our most deprived communities, and we know that the economic pressures on these communities have already reached crisis point and are likely to intensify further. So, although the new direction in terms of expanding education for adults has been welcomed, concerns have been expressed regarding the major decline over the past few years in the number of adults studying within the further education sector, and the decline too in the number of people studying part-time in the community, at the same time as funding for education for adults in the community has been significantly reduced and is still at a lower level than it was. So, how will you prioritise the provision of clear and accessible routes to higher learning and, bearing in mind these economic pressures, what practical support will be available to enable people to take up opportunities to reskill and reconnect with education at all levels? A group of learners from Neath Port Talbot adult learning in the community visited the Senedd this morning, and they asked me for better support for learners in the community to help them continue with their studies. They welcomed what has happened in terms of the personal learning accounts, but they spoke about the need to improve public transport - the infrastructure to help them to get to their courses - help with transport costs, help with exam fees - they had to find those fees from their own pockets. And digital provision was also a cause of concern, with the equipment available to be borrowed varying in quality and limited in numbers. So, how, therefore, is the Government going to continue to seek to dismantle the economic barriers facing these older students to ensure that investment is as effective as possible and to achieve the aim of a second chance nation? How will you support people to take up educational opportunities at a time when such an education is vital to promote resilience in our communities, and to promote the health of our economy and the welfare of our citizens? You talked in your statement about these funding challenges. The provision of adult education and part-time further education, and education in the community, are often among the first things to be cut when budgets are tight. We saw this under Labour in Wales when the austerity policies in Westminster under the coalition Government were impacting Wales over the past decade. So, Minister, in terms of this commitment to ensure this second chance education, how are you going to sustain that if there were to be further austerity? This demands ongoing funding for adult learning in the community, so that we can provide points of access to return to learning opportunities, and continuity to vocational provision and employability. Then, how will success be measured, and what plans do you have to understand the kinds of learners that could benefit from better access to adult learning? How will the Welsh Government ensure that the strongest emphasis on education for adults will be of benefit to those who most need it, namely those who are least likely to have benefited from formal education opportunities, those least likely to have qualifications and who have left education earlier in their lives, and older people too? Thank you.
Welsh: Diolch am y datganiad, Weinidog. Mae Plaid Cymru yn falch o'r pwyslais ar hyrwyddo, ehangu a datblygu addysg gydol oes yn ein cytundeb cydweithredu gyda'r Llywodraeth a'n cydweithio ar sefydlu'r comisiwn addysg drydyddol ac ymchwil. Mae'n hanfodol sicrhau nawr bod ffocws y comisiwn yn dynn ar y ffaith bod Cymru yn llwyddo'n well yn y nod o ddod yn genedl ail gyfle, wedi blynyddoedd o danfuddsoddiad ac, yn wir, doriadau'r i'r sector, ac mae hynny yn fwy hanfodol nag erioed, fel rŷch chi wedi'i nodi, o ystyried yr heriau economaidd a allai llesteirio'r uchelgais yna. Es i ar ymweliad gyda'r Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg i gampws Abertawe Prifysgol Cymru y Drindod Dewi Sant yr wythnos diwethaf. Fel y gwyddoch, mae proffil oedran myfyrwyr y brifysgol honno yn hŷn ar gyfartaledd na'r cyfartaledd sector yng Nghymru a'r Deyrnas Gyfunol, a hynny, yn ôl y brifysgol, yn adlewyrchu eu pwyslais ar ddatblygiad proffesiynol parhaus, uwchsgilio ac addysg gydol oes. Fe gwrddais i â myfyrwyr oedd yn sôn am y pwysau economaidd sydd arnyn nhw am eu bod nhw'n hŷn - pwysau economaidd sy'n esgor hefyd ar broblemau iechyd meddwl a straen - a oedd yn cael effaith ar eu gallu i gwblhau eu rhaglenni yn llwyddiannus. Fel y clywon ni, mae hanner myfyrwyr y Brifysgol Agored yng Nghymru yn byw yng nghymunedau mwyaf difreintiedig ein cenedl, ac rŷn ni'n gwybod bod y pwysau ar y cymunedau hyn yn barod wedi cyrraedd lefel argyfyngus ac yn debyg o ddwysáu ymhellach. Felly, er bu croeso i'r cyfeiriad newydd o ehangu dysgu i oedolion, mae yna bryder ynglŷn â'r lleihad mawr yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf yn y nifer o oedolion sy'n astudio o fewn y sector addysg bellach, a'r gwymp hefyd o ran y bobl sy'n astudio'n rhan-amser yn y gymuned, ar yr un pryd ac y cafodd cyllido ar gyfer addysg i oedolion yn y gymuned ei leihau yn sylweddol iawn ac yn dal i fod yn is nag yr oedd. Felly, sut ydych chi am flaenoriaethu llwybrau clir a hygyrch i ddysgu uwch ac, o ystyried y pwysau economaidd yma, pa gymorth ymarferol fydd ar gael i bobl ymgymryd â chyfleon i ailsgilio ac ailgysylltu ag addysg ar bob lefel? Roedd grŵp o ddysgwyr o addysg oedolion yn y gymuned Castell-nedd Port Talbot yn ymweld â'r Senedd y bore yma, ac roedden nhw'n gofyn i fi am well gefnogaeth i ddysgwyr er mwyn parhau â'u hastudiaeth. Roedden nhw'n croesawu'r hyn sydd wedi digwydd o ran y cyfrifon addysgu personol, ond roedden nhw'n sôn bod angen gwell cysylltiadau trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus - felly, y seilwaith i'w helpu nhw i ymgymryd â'u cyrsiau - help gyda chost trafnidiaeth, help gyda ffioedd arholiadau - roedd yn rhaid iddyn nhw ffeindio hynny o'u poced nhw eu hunain. Ac roedd darpariaeth ddigidol hefyd yn fater o bryder, gyda'r cyfarpar sydd ar gael i'w fenthyg yn gyfyngedig. Felly, sut mae'r Llywodraeth am barhau i geisio dileu y rhwystrau economaidd yma i'r myfyrwyr hŷn yma er mwyn sicrhau effeithlonrwydd y buddsoddiad a'r nod yma o greu cenedl ail gyfle? Sut ydych chi'n mynd i gefnogi pobl i ymgymryd ag addysg mewn cyfnod pan fo'r addysg honno yn gwbl hanfodol i hybu gwydnwch ein cymunedau, lles ein dinasyddion, ac iechyd ein heconomi? Fe sonioch chi yn eich datganiad am yr heriau cyllidol yma. Mae darpariaeth addysg oedolion a rhan-amser mewn addysg bellach, ac yn y gymuned, yn aml, gyda'r cyntaf o bethau i gael eu torri pan fo cyllid yn brin. Fe welom ni hyn o dan Lafur yma yng Nghymru pan oedd polisïau llymder San Steffan dan y Llywodraeth glymblaid yn niweidio Cymru dros y ddegawd diwethaf. Felly, Weinidog, o ran yr ymrwymiad yma i sicrhau yr addysg ail gyfle yma, sut ydych chi'n mynd i gynnal hynny os bydd cyni economaidd pellach? Mae hynny yn gofyn am gyllid parhaus ar gyfer y sector dysgu oedolion yn y gymuned, fel bod modd darparu pwyntiau mynediad yn ôl i gyfleoedd dysgu, a dilyniant i ddarpariaeth alwedigaethol a chyflogadwyedd. Wedyn, sut bydd llwyddiant yn cael ei fesur, a pha gynlluniau sydd ar y gweill i ddeall y math o ddysgwyr a allai elwa ar fynediad gwell i ddysgu oedolion? Sut bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn sicrhau y bydd y pwyslais cryfach ar addysg oedolion o fudd i'r rhai sydd angen mynediad fwyaf, hynny yw, y rhai sy'n lleiaf tebygol o fod wedi elwa ar gyfleoedd addysg ffurfiol, y rhai sy'n lleiaf tebygol o fod â chymwysterau ac sydd wedi gadael addysg yn gynt yn eu bywydau, a phobl hŷn? Diolch.