TEACHERS gave a cautious welcome at the weekend to Plaid Cymru’s pledges for education in Wales but said the party needed a sustainable plan to invest in their jobs.

Speaking on Saturday, Plaid’s education spokesman Cefin Campbell said his party would raise standards and support teachers.

Mr Campbell pledged to match cash incentives for trainee teachers given in England by the end of the next Senedd term in 2030, with up to £30,000 for trainees focusing on Welsh-medium teaching and foundation subjects such as maths and science.

“Under Labour’s watch, Wales is facing a crisis in teacher recruitment and retention,” Mr Campbell said.

“By the end of the next Senedd term, our incentive offer will match what’s currently on offer in England, ensuring that trainee teachers in Wales are not financially penalised for choosing to study and work here.”

But school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru’s Laura Doel sounded a note of caution about the pledge, saying it needed detailed discussion.

“We have some concerns about creating a two-tier workforce and whether incentives work or are just a short-term measure for a systemic problem,” Ms Doel said.

“We have listened with interest to the promises made by Plaid Cymru ahead of the Senedd election, particularly when it comes to raising standards and investing in the workforce.

“Our position is that the two go hand in hand: without supporting highly skilled teachers and teaching assistants in our classroom and strong, empowered leaders in our schools, we cannot hope to tackle the challenges around standards.”

Ms Doel called for more investment in the workforce and said this was central to ensuring the sector has the people it needs to deliver for our children and young people.

Mr Campbell also repeated a pledge he made in early September that Plaid will ensure every primary school will have a library, which had led to a confrontation with head teachers, who said this was a red herring as primary schools already provide access to books.

“We see investment in schools in order to be able to offer support to children to read and would encourage all parties to focus on this before ploughing money into libraries,” Ms Doel said.

Mr Campbell also said a Plaid government will develop a new foundational literacy and numeracy plan, declaring that it was measurable and equitable.