NUS Scotland welcomes Scottish Government announcement on SQA exam results

@NUSScotland welcome Scottish Government announcement on SQA exam results

Responding to the Ministerial Statement on SQA Exam Results 2020, Matt Crilly, NUS Scotland President, commented:

 “This is good news for students and prospective students across Scotland – particularly those from the poorest areas – whose results were unfairly downgraded due to SQA moderation. I want to recognise the young people across Scotland who protested unfair treatment and lobbied the Scottish Government, resulting in today’s change of direction.

“While we recognise that there is no perfect solution to the disruption caused by Covid-19 and the cancellation of exams, we welcome the approach the Scottish Government has now outlined.

“It’s crucial that students from disadvantaged backgrounds, are not disadvantaged by our assessment system, during the current pandemic or in the future. As such, we welcome the independent reviews announced by the government today. 

Mr Crilly added: 

“Fantastic progress has been made to widen access in recent years and I hope that progress will only be accelerated this year– with more students from poorer backgrounds gaining entry to further or higher education than ever before. We welcome that the Scottish Government has today committed to funding these additional places. 

“We can’t lose sight of the fact that just getting young people in the door is never enough in itself. We must ensure they have the support they need to remain, and succeed, once they get there. We need to see an ongoing commitment form the Scottish Government go providing hardship funding in the short-term, and reform to the cost-of-living support system for students in Scotland.”