Students start their protest march at Aberystwyth

More than 200 members of the university's Guild of Students and Welsh language student union - UMCA - marched on a meeting between the minister Jane Davidson and the university council.

The protest on Thursday was over what students claim is a lack of Welsh language education provision at universities in Wales.

They were also demonstrating about the UK government's plans to introduce top-up fees for university courses.

"This is a crisis situation. It's about time that the Welsh Assembly Government realise that students will not accept discrimination,"said Catrin Dafydd, UMCA's president.

Portfolios

"Regardless that she promises not to introduce top-up fees in Wales in 2006, if this policy goes ahead in England there is no guarantee that top-up fees will not be introduced in Wales."

In a statement Ms Davidson said she had always been clear the she was committed to working to make bilingualism a reality in Wales.

She said that �1.23m for Welsh medium provision had been provided to institutions this year.

Under this provision, �222,500 has also been allocated to higher education establishments at Aberystwyth, Bangor and Carmarthen.

"This money is for them to take a planned approach to expanding their Welsh medium portfolios and recruitment and to explore the potential for collaborative developments," she said.