The Education Secretary, John Swinney MSP, made a statement in the Scottish Parliament today regarding the 2020 SQA exam results.
During his statement, Mr Swinney apologised to young people affected by the downgrading of awards, and confirmed that he has directed the SQA to re-issue those awards based solely on teacher or lecturer judgement.
Commenting, Stuart said:
“This decision by the Education Secretary is clearly borne from the exceptional circumstances of COVID-19.
“After being inundated by many angry constituents from across my Greenock and Inverclyde constituency about this clear sense of unfairness locally, I lobbied the Mr Swinney and spoke directly to the SQA to right the wrong that was inflicted last week.
“It was patently unfair for pupils in areas of deprivation to be adversely affected just because of their postcode in addition to being graded against the marks of previous years. Pupils should receive grades based upon their own efforts.
“Today’s decision will be welcomed by many people and households in my constituency and the pupils will feel that their efforts have been rewarded appropriately.
“I welcome the Cabinet Secretary listening to pupils and their parents, and for taking this decision. I hope that this year is the catalyst for future discussion over the importance placed upon coursework and exams.”
Stuart McMillan MSP 