Home Economics should be back on the school curriculum in Pembrokeshire, says local AM Paul Davies.
Mr Davies, who is also Shadow Welsh Education Minister, outlined the plan in a keynote speech to the Welsh Conservative Party’s Spring Conference.
“If you are to get on in this world you need more than formal qualifications,” he said. “You also need the know-how to manage your home, time and finances.
“Many of our young people are leaving school unable to cook a fresh meal or manage a household budget.
“It’s no wonder that we have an obesity crisis and unprecedented levels of personal debt.”
As well as outlining the plans to put Home Economics back on the curriculum of every secondary school in the country, Mr Davies also spoke about the achievement and funding gap between Welsh and English schools.
“Last year just 57% of students in Wales gained 5 or more A* to C grades at GCSE,” he said. “Compare that to 70% in England.
“And if that wasn’t bad enough – the gap has more than doubled in the last 2 years.
“This gap in attainment mirrors the gap in investment. On average, pupils in England had £527 more spent on them last year than here in Wales and the gap is widening.”
He also highlighted the importance of Further Education and said it beggared belief that the Labour-Plaid Coalition is requiring the Higher and Further Education sectors to find efficiency savings of 5 per cent in the next financial year.
“All other Government sectors are only required to find savings of 1.6 per cent,” he pointed out.
