EMA replacement to be announced (3 Viewers)

[Coventry La La La]

The government is set to give details of a replacement scheme for Education Maintenance Allowances which were scrapped in England last year.

There have been reports that up to £180m could be available in discretionary support for students from low-income backgrounds.

The £560m EMA scheme had provided up to £30 per week to help teenagers stay on at sixth forms and colleges.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said the funding had been poorly-targeted.
But Labour's Andy Burnham claimed scrapping the allowances would mean more youngsters dropping out of education and that social mobility would be "thrown into reverse".

Drop-outs

The funding, received by 650,000 16 to 19-year-olds in England, provided grants of between £10 and £30 per week - with the full amount for families with a household income of less than £21,817.

The allowances had been introduced by Labour in an attempt to tackle the longstanding problem of a high teenage drop-out rate from education, particularly among poorer students.
But the c
oalition government attacked the EMA scheme as wasteful - and said that it would replace it with a smaller, discretionary fund.

An anticipated increase in the size of this discretionary fund, to be announced on Monday, is likely to be seized upon by the opposition as evidence of a re-think.
The existing learner support fund had been £26m.
Labour's deputy leader, Harriet Harman, said it was going to be a "very half-hearted reinstatement".

"The government were wrong to abolish it. I have seen the difference it made, not just to help people stay on, but also young people who do stay on don't have to do so many hours part-time work to make ends meet."

There are EMA schemes in Scotland and Wales which will continue. Allowances in Northern Ireland are under review.

 

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[AngryAnt]

EMA started the same year as my year was moving into 6th form/college. It wasn't poorly targeted, this announcement is a joke and seems to be a small offering to try and applease people at a glance.
If it wasn't for EMA most of my year wouldn't have stayed on. Yes some of it is used for entertainment (i.e games, or even petrol) but the idea is that it was for them do to with as they please, from books to transport.

In my opinion, EMA was one of the only decent things that the last goverment got right.
I've no time for Michael Gove ever since Paddy Ashdown ran rings around him during the debates (the conference after), after he [MG] tried to attack him [PA]. This just confirms what a twonk he really is.

 

[Sky Blue M]

In my expirience EMA was bollocks. Of the two people I knew who had it ( I know its only two people and there must be hundreds who are legitimate as well), one had parents who were split up, still went to private school, never had a job and was generally pretty lazy. The other, his dad was self employed so could apparently claim for it as is was only based on his mums wages! In no way were either of the homes they were living in under £21817 per year.

 

[AngryAnt]

The other, his dad was self employed so could apparently claim for it as is was only based on his mums wages! In no way were either of the homes they were living in under £21817 per year.

I couldn't claim for it either for the first year since both my parents were self employed (owned a shop), yet i still think it was a good idea.

 

[LastGarrison]

It was a joke.

I had direct dealings with it and there were many who played the system and didn't deserve it or even need it.

Most students used it to go out with on the weekend. You have to remember that if they could get the full £30 EMA then they would also have been entitled to the Learning Support Fund which provided bus passes and money for materials.

Scrapping EMA was the right decision.

 

[gouldberg]

About 90% of the people I know on EMA spend it all on nights out, concert tickets etc etc. I know people on EMA who say it's pointless, which pretty much sums it up really. My Dad earns more than the cap so I am not entitled, but thanks to mortgage payments, bills etc that my household owe I have less money (FAR LESS MONEY) than those on EMA. It's targeted at completely the wrong people (those living in council paid property with no mortgage payments have far more to spend than those earning their way legitimately). It's a joke system and in my opinion it should be all or nothing. They choose to continue in education the same as I do, so either all of us should get an education allowance or none of us should.

 

[ccfcadz]

About 90% of the people I know on EMA spend it all on nights out, concert tickets etc etc. I know people on EMA who say it's pointless, which pretty much sums it up really. My Dad earns more than the cap so I am not entitled, but thanks to mortgage payments, bills etc that my household owe I have less money (FAR LESS MONEY) than those on EMA. It's targeted at completely the wrong people (those living in council paid property with no mortgage payments have far more to spend than those earning their way legitimately). It's a joke system and in my opinion it should be all or nothing. They choose to continue in education the same as I do, so either all of us should get an education allowance or none of us should.

Spot on, when I was at college everyone that was one on EMA was either a heavy smoker or was usually huug over form the night before! Should never have been brought it inthe first place resally