Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
TALKING POLITICS ‘Shameful’ exam results process
Following the decision in March to close schools and cancel exams, on August 5 youngsters throughout Scotland received their results.
As a former teacher, I fully understand that determining how to award grades was never going to be easy to try to ensure fairness.
At the very least, however, young people whose future depended so much on these results had a right to expect there would be full accountability and transparency in the method that was finally decided upon.
Instead, the results were calculated by the SQA using a process they refused to release until the day of the results – and that was shameful.
Approximately 133,000 grades were adjusted, of which more than 120,000 grades were adjusted downwards, as part of SQA’s alternative qualification award process which penalised pupils, in areas of North Lanarkshire and elsewhere in Scotland, merely on the basis of where they live.
Worse still, the education secretary knew about this year’s results five days before they were made public – and accepted that many pupils would be downgraded for the sake of moderation.
This continued, despite pupilorganised protests, for a further five days after the results were released and right up to the point a motion of no confidence in the cabinet secretary was tabled in the Scottish Parliament.
How utterly depressing that rather than being motivated by a sense of fairness and empathy for the devastated young people so badly let down, it took this to make him relent.
What is crucial now is that youngsters with conditional acceptances are able to secure a place at university or college that may have been withdrawn due to their grade from the SQA being downgraded.
Finally, lockdown has made everyone appreciate the local environment, green spaces and wider countryside.
Local authorities play a major part in maintaining and keeping these areas tidy, including undertaking grass cutting.
During lockdown, the Labour minority controlled North Lanarkshire Council worked to tend to these green spaces.
By contrast, the neighbouring SNP controlled South Lanarkshire Council left vast areas of grass uncut, despite so many people, including those in sheltered accommodation, relying on these crucial open spaces for recreation.
I have yet to receive a convincing explanation why there was such a marked difference in the approaches between the two councils, but I commend North Lanarkshire for ensuring local people have been able to enjoy, and take pride in, seeing their green spaces being so well maintained.