Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has admitted that her younger self would “very possibly” have been among teenagers planning to stage a protest over their Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) results.
Ms Sturgeon said she understood students’ anger but stressed that they can appeal their results and that their individual circumstances will be taken into account.
She was asked at her daily coronavirus briefing today how she would have felt if her results had been downgraded because of the historical performance of her school, and whether, in that scenario, her younger self would have joined the teenagers planning to protest against the SQA in Glasgow tomorrow.
Ms Sturgeon replied: “Very possibly.” She added that she understood the feelings of young people who believe they have been unfairly treated.
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Ms Sturgeon said: “If you’re a young person whose teacher has estimated one grade, and you’ve got a lower grade, you’re going to feel very aggrieved about that, and I absolutely understand that.
SQA results: Students can appeal their grades, says Sturgeon
“And if I had been in that position, I would feel aggrieved about that and...I know how really horrible this is for young people that are in this position.
“And if I was standing here and saying, ‘Well, tough - that’s it’...then that anger would quite rightly be even greater.
“But I am not saying that - there is another part of this process.”
She added: “If you’re a young person and you’re in this position, I am talking directly to you: you can appeal this and have your individual circumstances looked at.”
She reiterated that appeals would be guided by students’ “individual merit”, and that ”if you have been treated unfairly, that will be rectified through this process”.
