The Educational Institute of Scotland, meeting for its annual conference in Dundee, is being urged to ballot members on taking industrial action to block the changes to the exam, usually taken by Scottish students at the age of 17.

There is widespread unhappiness among delegates about the proposed new Higher qualification, with particular concern over the extra demands that a shift from exams to internal assessment will bring.

Teachers are saying that they need more resources and training and want reassurances over the threat of an increased workload before the reforms can go ahead.

Six of the Institute's local associations want to ballot on a complete boycott. They are unhappy over resources, new teaching arrangements, and the shift from exams to assessment in the classroom.

There have also been worries raised about the Higher reforms requiring "multi-level teaching", in which pupils in the same class could be studying different courses within a subject.

Ministerial assurance

The Scottish Secondary Teachers Association, a smaller teaching union, has already put pressure on the Government by voting by nine to one in support of a boycott of the so-called "Higher Still" reforms.

Although the Scottish Education Minister, Brian Wilson, has already assured teachers of the benefits of the upgraded qualification, delegates at the conference will be calling for the Government to move quickly to keep the reforms on the road.

• The EIS is no ordinary union. Set up under a royal charter granted by Queen Victoria, it is exempt from some trade union legislation.

  The charter also gives it the the power to confer degrees - one of the first items of business on Thursday afternoon. Among its new Fellows is the outgoing Scottish Trades Union Congress General Secretary, Campbell Christie.

• The EIS is launching its own Website during this conference. It will be at: http://www.eis.org.uk