PETER Peacock, the education minister, last night claimed that exam officials had finally put their troubles behind them following the successful delivery of this year’s results.
Mr Peacock said the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) had at last shaken off the reputation it gained following the exams fiasco of 2000 when thousands of candidates received late or inaccurate results.
As he met successful candidates in Ed
inburgh, Mr Peacock said officials could now focus on improving pupils’ results rather than worrying about whether their certificates will be delivered successfully.
He said: "The SQA is a transformed organisation and has managed to get the results out more smoothly than any year in the past.
"We can now leave all that happened before in the background and instead concentrate on the exam results themselves."
Controversy has dogged the SQA ever since it was set up four years ago. A wide-ranging inquiry was launched and a major shake-up of the organisation implemented in the wake of the chaos in 2000.
Attempts to usher in a period of stability in the organisation have also been affected by the fact that it has gone through three chief executives in its brief lifespan.
Brian Adam, the SNP’s deputy education spokesman, gave the SQA more cautious backing.
He said: "Their major problems are behind them, but they are still not utterly free of controversy. I wish them well for the future, but I am not going to start thinking everything is good because they have delivered results successfully three times out of four."
Last night, Anton Colella, the SQA’s current chief executive welcomed Mr Peacock’s comments but insisted the organisation was not complacent.
He said: "We’re pleased at the SQA’s progress. We’re looking for continuous improvement so that we can provide the best service possible to Scottish education. This success depends on the efforts of many and they have our thanks, too."
About 140,000 students received their results yesterday, with Higher and Standard Grade pass rates up on last year.
In particular, the pass rate for Higher English rose by 4.8 percentage points to 64 per cent, a major improvement on last year when the pass rate fell by 5.5 points. The Higher maths pass rate increased by one percentage point to 67.8 per cent.
Standard Grade English pass rates rose by 0.1 point to 98.4 per cent, while the Standard Grade maths pass rate stayed at 97.7 per cent.
Overall, the Standard Grade pass rate went up by 0.4 points to 97.2 per cent, prompting fears that these exams were becoming too easy.
But Mr Peacock rejected that suggestion and insisted the improved performances were down to the hard work of pupils and their teachers.
He said: "The really important thing is that we are maintaining standards year on year, but it is a gradual increase in pass rates.
"If we had huge increases in our exam pass rates, then people would rightly ask if we are reducing standards, but that is not the case.
"What is important is that we are seeing a gradual improvement in performance and that the quality of the Scottish education system is there for all to see." He added: "Scotland is renowned around the world for having high education standards and these results conform that. We saw a dip in English results last year and it’s important that that has not just been arrested, but has been reversed.
"What is important is that, overall, exam results are improving and more students are getting the results that they need for the future."
Alan Hogarth, of CBI Scotland, said: "We are pleased about the improved performance of pupils this year. The real challenge is to ensure that school leavers have the necessary inter-personal skills and confidence required to provide a skilled and productive workforce in Scotland."
Thousands of candidates were phoning two special helpines yesterday as they sought advice on their options for the future after receiving their results.
About 500 young people had called the SQA’s candidate advice helpline by yesterday afternoon, while approximately 1,200 had contacted the Careers Scotland Helpline.
A spokesman for Careers Scotland said most callers had not achieved the results they had been hoping for, although some had exceeded their expectations and were having to re-think their future plans.
He said: "One or two have rung to say their results were better than they expected and that they now wanted advice on how to get in to university. But the majority have not done as well as they would have liked and want to know what their options are."
The SQA helpline number is 0845 278 8080 and the Careers Scotland number is 0808 100 8000.
Meanwhile, Royal Mail managers said there had been no problems with the delivery of results around the country.
There had been fears the decision to scrap the second delivery would mean many candidates would receive their results much later than in previous years.
But a Royal Mail spokeswoman said: "All the results were sent out today and everything has been running smoothly."
The full article contains 890 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
