A recruitment campaign is underway for the inaugural board of Scotland’s replacement qualifications body, Qualifications Scotland.
Education professionals, such as teachers, and learner representatives, as well as others, are being sought to join the board. The closing date for applications is 14 August, with the advert saying there are six openings to be filled.
In December, Qualifications Scotland will replace the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
The government committed to reforming the SQA in the wake of the 2020 pandemic grading scandal, as well as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s report on Curriculum for Excellence, published in 2021.
This report found “misalignment between CfE’s aspirations and the qualification system” in the senior phase of secondary schools.
However, there is concern that the reforms underway - which also promise a new independent inspectorate - will not lead to meaningful change.
After the legislation for the reforms was passed in June, Andrea Bradley, general secretary of the EIS teaching union, described it as “an opportunity missed”, warning that teachers need to be convinced “through the actions of the new agency that the bill amounts to more than a rebranding exercise”.
The new board will include five teachers and lecturers as well as someone able to represent the interests of learners. It will also include the body’s chair and chief executive and the convenor of the Accreditation Committee, as well as five “ordinary” members.
Shirley Rogers, who chairs the SQA board and will become chair of Qualifications Scotland, described the recruitment process as “a once-in-a-generation opportunity” and urged those keen “to shape Scotland’s future through education and skills” to apply.
Qualifications Scotland will also have a Strategic Advisory Council and Learner and Practitioner Interest Committees. Recruitment to these will be at a later date.
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