The Scottish Government is planning to abolish Standard Grade and Intermediate qualifications as part of continuing reform of the curriculum, it was claimed yesterday.

According to reports, ministers have decided to replace Standard Grades at General and Credit levels as well as Intermediate 1 and 2 following a long-running review of the qualifications system, started by the former Scottish Executive.

The Times Higher Education Supplement Scotland said Standard Grades would be replaced by a qualification aimed at those who cannot, or do not wish to, take a given subject at Higher.

There will also be exams in literacy and numeracy for all pupils in the December of S4, the paper reported.

However, a spokeswoman for the Scottish Government described the reports as "premature" and said no suggestions had been discussed by the cabinet.

And Fiona Hyslop, the Education Secretary, said yesterday that any proposals would be unveiled in the near future.

She said: "I am currently considering what changes are needed to the Standard Grade and Intermediate 1 and 2 qualifications, and I will announce further details of our plans in the next few weeks."

She added: "Higher qualifications will continue to be the gold standard of Scottish education, and we will look at how we can influence the system to ensure that the two-term dash is not the only route to Highers for our young people. Flexibility will be key."

Speculation about the future of Standard Grade has been a hot topic in education circles for the past few years with some councils, such as East Renfrewshire, already dropping the qualification completely.

The exam has its supporters, but opposition was bolstered by an international report which called for the scrap- ping of Standard Grades as part of a reform of Scottish education.

The study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said the qualification should be phased out because of the lack of status it carries "at the lower level of grades" and because it hinders the development of vocational education in schools.

Meanwhile, Scottish teachers are being lured away to a life in Australia by the promise of "big blue skies, amazing scenery and an enviable lifestyle".

The claim is made in advertising material for a new recruitment drive by the government of Western Australia, which is facing shortages of school staff.

In particular, officials there want to attract teachers to remote rural schools and are offering subsidised rent, extra salary inducements and even allowances for fridges, freezers and air-conditioning.

The government held a seminar in Glasgow last week that attracted 70 teachers and plans future visits to follow up interest and hold interviews. Twenty interviews have already taken place.

Mark McGowan, Educa-tion Minister for Western Australia, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for teachers across Scotland to experience the Australian way of life while working at a government school."

The recruitment drive comes at a time when hundreds of newly qualified teachers are unable to find a permanent job in Scottish schools.

Hundreds of additional teachers have been trained to meet government class-size commitments and ministers have also run an overseas recruitment campaign that has resulted in the arrival of record numbers of teachers from abroad.

However, most newly qualified teachers want to live in urban areas such as Glasgow, Edinburgh and the central belt rather than in rural parts of Scotland.