PARLIAMENT will tomorrow be asked to back the break up of Education Scotland and major reform of the SQA.

The move follows continued criticism of the bodies over their actions during the Covid pandemic.

A motion to go before the Scottish Parliament tomorrow claims neither organisation is "fit for purpose" and both have "lost the confidence of teachers, pupils and parents".

The Scottish Greens have already urged the board of the SQA, Scotland's exam body, to resign and called for an overhaul of the system following the exam chaos of 2020.

John Swinney survived a vote of no confidence after MSP colleagues backed him in a challenge brought after grades were restored to teacher estimates in a Scottish Government climb-down that preceded similar action in England.

Now the LibDems are asking parliament to back reforms the party says will make education bosses "more accountable".

READ MORE: Greens issue call for an overhaul of exams in letter to John Swinney

This includes cutting Education Scotland into independent inspection and policy functions and making the SQA "grounded in the teaching profession".

The motion, by Willie Rennie, states that "the support, services and decision-making provided by Education Scotland and the SQA have not met the expectations or requirements of hardworking teachers, pupils or parents throughout the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic" and says "serious concerns existed about the performance and structure of these organisations for years before the pandemic struck".

Rennie said: "At a time of disruption and worry, instead of making peoples' jobs and lives easier, they have made them harder.

"Despite months of warnings, the SQA and John Swinney teamed up to create an exams system and algorithm that actively penalised pupils from the poorest backgrounds.

"After Education Scotland previously gave teachers 20,000 pages of guidance on Curriculum for Excellence, during this pandemic they have gone to the other end of the scale and been totally absent when people needed them.

"Both of the Scottish Government's education quangos have lost the confidence of those who they are supposed to serve and have repeatedly shown that they are not fit for purpose."

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Teachers, support staff and other professionals working in education – in schools, colleges, councils and our national agencies - have supported Scotland’s children and young people very well throughout the pandemic, including during periods of remote learning. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, our partners in education have continued to contribute to important work on the future of Scottish education, such as the independent review of Curriculum for Excellence led by the OECD and in preparing for alternative approaches to certification. For that, they deserve thanks and recognition from Parliament.

“The suggestion that Education Scotland should be separated into independent inspection and policy functions shows a misunderstanding of their role. The Scottish Government, not Education Scotland, is responsible for policy on education. Education Scotland is the national improvement agency for education.”