After the War on Drugs

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RCT's disasterous education plans

Rhondda Cynon Taf council has recently unveiled their plans to "transform" post-16 education. Their proposals include the creation of bilingual tertiary colleges, but have many significant weaknesses. Plaid Cymru representatives in Rhondda Cynon Taf met to discuss our response to the plans. We agreed the following statement.

The proposals, as they affect both English and Welsh medium education, have been prepared with indecent haste and a lack of consultation.

Welsh medium education, which is the best way to produce fluent Welsh speakers, will be downgraded. Bilingual colleges will not provide the comprehensive range of Welsh medium provision which includes pastoral care and extra curricular activities.

Insufficient detail has been provided on future provision for young people with special needs and mature students over 19.

RCT council has made it clear it will seriously consider funding the scheme under a Private Finance Initiative if money is not available from the Assembly Government. That means a huge financial burden on future generations, and a potential downgrading of staff terms and conditions as well as job losses.

Education is still the best route out of poverty. RCT’s young people deserve the best education available. These proposals will not deliver that.

In addition to this statement, Plaid Cymru councillors have tried to call the RCT cabinet decision to progress these plans in for scrutiny. They were voted down. We have been in contact with pressure groups, parents groups, teachers, trades unions, council officials and WAG to campaign against the further development of the plans. There is universal opposition.

There are workable alternatives. We can only hope the council will be prepared to consider them.

What Wales can learn from Venezuela

From the Assembly's Record of Proceedings:

Leanne Wood: Among the most successful and progressive policies of the Venezuelan Government is to commit to giving every child a musical instrument and music lessons. Compare that with the recent decision by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council to consult on proposals to downgrade peripatetic music teachers to instructors, which would cut their salaries by around £10,000 a year. That would have a devastating effect on the teaching of music in schools in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Would you be prepared to look at Rhondda Cynon Taf’s proposals to see whether they fit in with your department’s priorities? If you find that they do not, will you seek an avenue whereby you can intervene?

Jane Hutt: I refer you to my written statement of 15 October on the review of music education that I have launched. I am sure that all local authorities in Wales, including Rhondda Cynon Taf, will engage with and welcome that review. The membership of that review group includes representatives of the Arts Council of Wales, the Welsh Local Government Association, Estyn, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and, importantly, practising music teachers. They will be reviewing current provision for 3 to 19-year-olds, mapping present support given by local authorities, and identifying how music provision in Wales can be strengthened.
9.12.09

But Rhondda Cynon Taf are making cuts now, before Jane's review comes out. A newly-made redundant music teacher contacted me last week. What's the point in RCT engaging and welcoming the review after they've sacked or downgraded all their teachers?

Copenhagen fail

The end of the UN climate conference in Copenhagen has ended in disappointment, if not disaster. There's no legally binding agreement and no agreement as to which countries should cut what levels of greenhouse gases.

Leaders of many non-industrialised countries have reacted with anger to the private agreement signed by the heads of some of the world's richest and biggest emitting countries. It's been widely acknowleded that what looks like an accidental deal by the USA, China, India, Brasil and South Africa goes no-where near far enough. So what happens now?

The climate science tells us that we have to shift very quickly if we are to avoid irreversible climate change. Parts of Africa are already turning to desert. People in the UK are at greater risk of flooding. Some islands face disappearing under water. The anger from the leaders of those countries who are already dealing with the consequences of climate change is perfectly understandable. They've been unable to have a say, yet they can see and feel the effects of the richest countries carrying on emitting as we are. This can't be the end of these talks. Failure to reach agreement is not an option.

Sacking them on the cheap

Last week it transpired that the UK government intends to cut the redundancy package currently available to civil servants. Cynics think it may have something to do with plans to sell off government assets like the Royal Mint, Llantrisant. The Mint is will be more attractive to potential buyers if they can lay off people 'on-the-cheap'. This is from last weeks Record of Proceedings:

Leanne Wood: The UK Government seeks to make changes to the civil service compensation scheme that governs redundancy and early retirement payments to employees of all devolved and non-devolved Government departments as well as those of many other public bodies. Those changes will rob thousands of hard-working employees of a third of the value of the redundancy payment that they thought that they could expect as a right. Even though Tessa Jowell agreed with the unions in September that talks with officials should be reopened to secure a mutually acceptable outcome, that has not happened. A slightly improved set of proposals were circulated to all civil servants by permanent secretaries as a fait accompli on Friday 4 December, with no prior consultation with the trade unions. Given the implications for the staff of the Welsh Assembly Government, the National Assembly for Wales and Assembly Government sponsored bodies, will the Assembly Government make representations to the Cabinet Office for the resumption of negotiations in good faith as a matter of urgency? Furthermore, will the Leader of the House make time available for this issue to be discussed in Plenary as soon as possible in the new year?

Carwyn Jones: On the civil service compensation scheme, it is important that all channels are kept open to make sure that there is a satisfactory solution, particularly for those who may be affected by the scheme. I will ensure that I investigate the situation, and if there is a need to offer a view on behalf of the Government, that will be done. At the moment, it is a matter for negotiation between the unions and the UK Government. I hope that it is something that will be resolved satisfactorily in the future.