Cabinet Minister joins OU in Wales for discussion on teaching, communities, and Welsh language

Last night at the National Eisteddfod, the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, Anna Brychan MS spoke about her priorities for teacher education. This included her intention to hear different perspectives on teaching, alongside workforce planning for the future.

The Minister was taking part in an Open University panel discussion on teacher education, and its importance to the future of Welsh-speaking communities.

The panel

Joining the Cabinet Minister on the panel were Matthew Evans, Headteacher of Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf; Tegryn Jones, Chief Executive, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority; Nerys Defis, Curriculum Tutor on the OU’s PGCE Programme; and Cai Fôn Davies, OU in Wales PGCE graduate.

The event was chaired by Dr Gwenllian Lansdown Davies, Chief Executive of Dysgu, Wales’s national professional learning organisation for educators.

Qualifying as a teacher and being able to use the Welsh language every day as part of work is very important to me, and the fact that I can pass on the Welsh language and all its benefits to the next generation is a privilege to be honest.

I feel that teaching in Wales is more of a calling than if I were to teach in any other country, because the Welsh language means a lot to me and the way I look at the world. 

Being able to work in my own community too - in an age where young people struggle to find jobs in their area - means a lot to me. It is an additional element of how important it is for young people to be able to stay in their communities and make a difference.

Cai Fôn Davies OU in Wales PGCE graduate