GLASGOW Girls has been described as one of the most important pieces of theatre to have come out of Scotland in the past decade, winning rave reviews and standing ovations all over the world, but it’s been revealed that Scottish pupils who mention the show in their exams are being penalised.
It’s a situation Cora Bissett, who conceived and directed the show, has described as “horrendous”.
As part of the Higher Drama written test, students are required to analyse a live performance they have seen, but Bissett says teachers have told her that the Scottish Qualifications Authority are marking down essays on the show “because it’s a musical, not a play”.
While pupils can write about classics like The Tempest, or modern Scottish pieces like Trainspotting, or even shows with songs, like The Steamie, Glasgow Girls is not allowed.
Teachers have told Bissett that students who have written about Glasgow Girls have had their answers “discarded” by the SQA.
The show tells the true story of the seven teenagers from Drumchapel, who, in 2005, found themselves at the mercy of the government’s harsh asylum regime after one of their number and her family were forcibly taken from their home to be deported.
Amal Azzudin, Rosa Salih, Ewelina Siwak, Toni-Lee Henderson, Emma Clifford and Jennifer McCarron galvanised the community to save Agnesa Murselaj, and launched a campaign to stop the dawn raids and detention.
They lobbied parliament, winning support from MSPs, and forcing the then First Minister Jack McConnell to take action.
READ MORE Award-winning Glasgow Girls makes big return to theatres
The show based on their incredible story, which starts its latest tour next week at the King’s Theatre in Glasgow, has been a critical hit, winning the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award.
Bissett told The National she couldn’t understand why the SQA was so against Glasgow Girls: “I was told by teachers that it was discarded in exam results because it wasn’t a play. It was horrendous. It just seems mad that it doesn’t because of the form.
“I can’t tell you how many teachers write to me because they want to use this in school. It has so many meanings on so many levels. The human rights aspect, the issues of asylum seekers, international politics, but also it’s about young girls finding their voice. This feels like a story that lives and breathes in the moment of now.”
The SQA were unable to respond to requests for a comment.
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