THE news that planned cuts to higher education in Wales have been slashed from £41 million to £10 million has been widely welcomed.

On Tuesday, February 9, Wales’ finance minister Jane Hutt announced plans in the Welsh Government’s draft budget for the 2016-2017 financial year to move £21 million out of the higher education budget into direct support for students had been reversed, while an extra £5 million will be invested into part-time learning and another £5 million into research.

Chairman of umbrella organisation Universities Wales Professor Colin Riordan welcomed the announcement.

“We are very appreciative of the understanding that ministers have shown for the concerns of universities and students following the publication of the draft budget,” he said.

“Whilst the funding outlook for 2016/17 remains unprecedentedly tough, we are now more confident that Welsh universities will be able to manage in the short term until future challenges can be faced.”

Plaid Cymru Mid and West Wales AM Simon Thomas also welcomed the announcement, claiming it was an admission by the government that it had “got it wrong”.

Speaking on Tuesday, he said: “The education minister (Huw Lewis) has made a mess of things, and threw our universities into panic.

“His refusal to acknowledge the crisis that he has caused smacks of a deep misunderstanding of the effect that such large cuts would have on our universities, and the subsequent impact on Wales’ economy.

“I am pleased that the higher education sector has been given some reassurance today that the cuts will not be as devastating as they first thought.”

Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Kirsty Williams also said she was “very glad” to hear the news, while Labour AM for Newport East John Griffiths called it “a positive development”.

But, it “a stunningly weak deal”, a Welsh Conservative spokesman said this was not enough.

Campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg has also called on the government to do more to support Welsh language education.

Group member Ffred Ffransis said he some of the new cash would go towards Coleg Cymraeg – an organisation helping Welsh-speaking universities, colleges and students across Wales.

“The Coleg is key to delivering the right to study in Welsh in higher education,” he said. “We hope it can also increasingly do that in further education over the years to come.

"The Coleg Cymraeg is not another small player in the higher education market to be dependent on the whim of the funding council.

“Instead we call on you to develop its role to be a progressive body which will combine further and higher education in order to genuinely serve the needs of young people through the medium of Welsh."

The draft budget is due to be fully signed off next month.

It is estimated the Welsh Government’s overall budget will be 11 per cent lower by 2020 than ten years previously.

To view the draft budget visit gov.wales.