Rachael Hamilton MSP and Cllr Scott Hamilton have expressed their anger at the cost of SQA exam fees, despite Borders’ youngsters not sitting formal exams since 2019.
Over the past two years, Scottish Borders Council has been made to pay over £1million in fees to the Scottish Qualifications Authority for exam and assessment services.
The SQA fees figure is equivalent to the revenue brought in SBC increased council tax by ½%.
The issue was brought to light in a question by Councillor Scott Hamilton, which showed that SBC has given almost £2.2 million in the SQA in the past 4 years, despite Borders’ pupils not sitting SQA exams in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. All academic attainment this year and last year was determined by teachers.
The Borders representatives have called on the SNP Government and the SQA to refund local authorities for fees over the past two years.
Rachael Hamilton MSP said:
“This is just another chapter in the SQA fiasco surrounding exams and grades.
“Over £1 million of Borders’ council funds have gone to the SQA despite young people not sitting a formal exam of late.
“The SBC budget is already constrained due to SNP council cuts, and we must ensure that the SQA is held accountable for demanding this money.
“The SNP Government has cut council funding by a third, and this adds rubs salt in the wounds to local government.
“Council taxpayers will be rightly furious and SBC should be refunded in earnest”.
Cllr Scott Hamilton said:
“The SQA demanding exam fees when there hasn’t been the usual exam diet, as a result of Covid, is utterly ludicrous.
“I’m afraid this will add insult to injury to my constituents both parents and pupils who contacted me about the examination system and process.
“Considering we have paid just over a million pounds, I need to say that again a million pounds for exams which never existed.
“We will write to the SQA to demand that we get Borders’ money back given the ridiculousness of situation”.