English: Can I thank Suzy Davies for giving me a minute in this debate and also for the enthralling way that she's led this debate, which I certainly enjoyed, and I'm sure other people did? In 2019, the BBC reported that foreign languages were being squeezed out of schools' timetables by core subjects like the Welsh baccalaureate. There's been a 29 per cent fall in language GCSE entries in Wales in five years - a steeper fall than in the rest of the United Kingdom. A GCSE pupil in a school in Wales will have a minimum of six and a maximum of eight mandatory subjects that they must take, with between two and four optional. For those options, as well as languages, they've got history, geography, ICT, drama, physical education, RE, and, as I've only got a minute, I can't read out the rest of them. But there's a whole range of options they've got, and they've got a maximum of four and a minimum of two. Is it any surprise that modern foreign languages are reducing? You're competing against some of the more popular subjects that are not themselves mandatory. Is there a solution to this? The solution is straightforward - I don't expect it to be done, but it's straightforward - if somebody wants to do two modern foreign languages, they only have to do the single science option, rather than a double science option. That would mean that pupils who don't like science - and I know what it's like, because I had a daughter who didn't like science at all, but who liked languages - give them the opportunity to do two languages. It's not going to happen otherwise. You've got two to four options - are you going to choose two languages out of those? Almost certainly not. If we want foreign languages to be used, it's really important that we don't make people do double science as well.
Welsh: A gaf fi ddiolch i Suzy Davies am roi munud i mi yn y ddadl hon a hefyd am y ffordd gyffrous y mae wedi arwain y ddadl hon, dadl rwy'n sicr wedi'i mwynhau, ac rwy'n siŵr fod pobl eraill wedi'i mwynhau hefyd? Yn 2019, adroddodd y BBC fod ieithoedd tramor yn cael eu gwasgu allan o amserlenni ysgolion gan bynciau craidd fel bagloriaeth Cymru. Bu gostyngiad o 29 y cant yn nifer y cofrestriadau TGAU iaith yng Nghymru mewn pum mlynedd - gostyngiad mwy serth nag yng ngweddill y Deyrnas Unedig. Bydd gan ddisgybl TGAU mewn ysgol yng Nghymru leiafswm o chwech ac uchafswm o wyth pwnc gorfodol y mae'n rhaid iddynt eu hastudio, gyda rhwng dau a phedwar pwnc dewisol. Ymhlith yr opsiynau hynny, yn ogystal ag ieithoedd, mae ganddynt hanes, daearyddiaeth, TGCh, drama, addysg gorfforol, addysg grefyddol, ac am mai dim ond munud sydd gennyf, ni allaf ddarllen y gweddill ohonynt. Ond mae ystod eang o opsiynau ganddynt, ac mae ganddynt uchafswm o bedwar a lleiafswm o ddau. A yw'n syndod fod ieithoedd tramor modern yn lleihau? Rydych chi'n cystadlu yn erbyn rhai o'r pynciau mwy poblogaidd nad ydynt yn orfodol eu hunain. A oes ateb i hyn? Mae'r ateb yn syml - nid wyf yn disgwyl iddo gael ei wneud, ond mae'n syml - os yw rhywun am wneud dwy iaith dramor fodern, dim ond yr opsiwn gwyddoniaeth unigol sy'n rhaid iddynt ei wneud, yn hytrach nag opsiwn gwyddoniaeth ddwbl. Byddai hynny'n golygu bod disgyblion nad ydynt yn hoffi gwyddoniaeth - a gwn sut beth yw hynny oherwydd roedd gennyf ferch nad oedd yn hoffi gwyddoniaeth o gwbl, ond a oedd yn hoffi ieithoedd - rhowch gyfle iddynt wneud dwy iaith. Nid yw'n mynd i ddigwydd fel arall. Mae gennych ddau i bedwar opsiwn - a ydych yn mynd i ddewis dwy iaith o blith y rheini? Mae'n annhebygol iawn. Os ydym am i ieithoedd tramor gael eu defnyddio, mae'n bwysig iawn nad ydym yn gwneud i bobl wneud gwyddoniaeth ddwbl hefyd.