Local authorities have a statutory duty to prepare and submit Welsh Education Strategic Plans to the Welsh Government for their consideration. The most recent WESPs covering the period 2017 to 2020 were submitted in December 2016 but were found not to go far enough to ensure sufficient growth in Welsh medium education to achieve our goal of a million Welsh speakers.
Local Authorities were therefore asked to re-submit their plans and fifteen out of twenty two have now been approved.
Approving the plans, The Minister said:
“The improvements made to the WESPs since their re-submission have provided a firmer foundation for the planning of Welsh medium education that better reflects the ambition set in Cymraeg 2050, and the recognition that education is a key catalyst for change.
“I am very pleased that the local authorities who have had their plans approved have demonstrated a commitment to support a growth in Welsh-medium education in line with our ambition and would like to thank them all for their cooperation. I am also confident that the commitment shown by the remaining authorities will mean that we can work with them to push forward to agree their plans as soon as possible.
“I will now ask that each local authority draws up an action plan based on the targets within their strategic plan, including those awaiting approval. We will continue to work in partnership with everyone to monitor progress and provide support where necessary.”
The Minister also recently announced that Aled Roberts has been appointed for a period of 12 months to further develop WESPs to ensure a system that is fit for the future and to help deliver the ambitious targets set in Cymraeg 2050.
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