| As another deadline for exam
appeals went whooshing over his head, interim SQA boss Bill Morton revealed to MSPs last
week that he was bitterly disappointed with SQA staff. "I went in
to the office on Monday and the place was deserted." A search of a local shopping
centre found SQA staff hanging around, hiding in the toilets and going on the thieve in
Woolies.
Mr Morton promised swift action. "I've written to the parents of staff
explaining to them that the SQA is a place of work and we can't have whole swathes of
staff just plugging it for a laugh." |
Mr Morton promised tough action
with daily registers being taken and did not rule out permanent exclusions. Problems with
the computer software were being ironed out, he went on, with CPU power previously taken
up by on-line Death Match games of Unreal Tournament now being applied to processing exam
results. Late last week, Education Minister Jack McConnell accepted the
resignation of the chairman of the SQA. On an inspection tour of the Scott Monument in
Edinburgh, Mr McConnell was not available for comment but did risk a quick wave to waiting
press on the ground below before re-applying both hands to hanging on to the structure's
lightning conductor. |
