"Staggering hypocrisy" of Welsh pupil betrayal

Plaid Cymru accuses Labour and Lib Dems of “political game playing” over students future

Plaid Cymru has accused Labour and Liberal Democrats of “staggering hypocrisy” when it comes to the downgrading of A-level students in Wales.

Both the Labour and Liberal Democrats parties voiced outrage that nearly 40% of A-level pupils in England have had their results downgraded. In Wales, education is devolved to the Labour Welsh Government, with the lone Liberal Democrat Member of Senedd, Kirsty Williams, in charge of Education.

42% of Welsh A-level students have had their results downgraded from teacher estimates, and Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price MS has accused both Welsh Labour and Welsh Liberal Democrats of “staggering hypocrisy.”

In a letter to the First Minister, Mr Price said:

“If the criticism from your parties in England is to mean anything other than political game playing , you must now re-assess your approach as a Welsh Government to ensure that no pupil is disadvantaged in what has already been an anxious year.”

Responding to the A-level fiasco Adam Price said:

“The hypocrisy from UK Labour and Liberal Democrat parties in their vocal outcry of UK Government’s “botched grading system” and of “robbing” these students of their future while their Welsh Government counterparts commit the same gross error is staggering.

“Mistrust in the system couldn’t have been communicated louder by students, teachers and even Welsh Labour’s own back-benchers. Pupils who were awarded lesser grades than the teacher assessments in A-level and AS exams should be upgraded to the teacher assessment grades. If this approach is being advocated by the UK Labour leader in England, why is the Labour First Minister in Wales so stubbornly against?”

“Further, this should be used as the mechanism for awarding GSCE results and this should be communicated to learners today for peace of mind.”