The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has been formally disbanded to bring new updates and improvements to the education system.
The transition, which began on December 2nd, will see a new organisation taking over – named Qualifications Scotland.
An SQA spokesperson stated: “The arrival of Qualifications Scotland represents a reset: a reset for our qualifications system, a reset for Scotland and, most importantly, a reset for learners, teachers, and lecturers.
“Our aim is clear: to give every learner the opportunity to fulfil their potential and to deliver for Scotland by making a positive social and economic impact.”
Andy Harvey, the National Officer of the Educational Institure of Scotland, stated: “I think that the teachers will view the change from the SQA to Qualification Scotland with a mixture of relief, scepticism and really some cautious optimism. Primarily teachers view the SQA as to blame for the grinding workload and the bureaucracy that plagued the profession.”
The SQA board has been facing criticism since 2020, when 124,000 predicted exam results were downgraded against the recommendations of teachers after being cancelled by Covid.
Further controversy arose when data showed that the Scottish Highers pass rate was reduced more for students from low-income backgrounds than those from high-income backgrounds.
Research conducted by the SQA in 2024/25 found that only one in five people believed that the SQA was gaining back the trust they had lost in this time.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “It is important that Qualifications Scotland uses this opportunity to re-establish trust with the teaching profession and with the children and young people who rely upon the qualifications system working to recognise their individual achievements.”
However, Andy said he was not sure whether the new board would make suffiicent improvements: “Is this the fundamental change that has been recommended by education reform or is it just a rebrand?”
He concluded: “Teachers are hopeful that the new organisation will take into account the views of teachers and of learners, and it ultimately will help us move away from a high stakes examination system towards one that genuinely celebrates and recognises the achievement of all learners.”
