So, today's the day the Government are due to make a decision on whether or not to scrap Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).
For students, today has the potential to be disastrous. If your annual household income is less than £30,810 and you are aged 16,17 or 18 about to leave compulsory education for a further education course at a college or Sixth Form, you receive £10, £20, or £30 per week (depending on your family's circumstances) for attending all your lessons punctually. Essentially, its money or nothing!
Actually, its blackmail! The idea behind EMA is that students have financial help in order to pay for all the books, stationary and transport costs associated with going to college. In reality, students are being paid for going to each lesson at college. How much does a few textbooks and pens cost? No more than £100 surely – meaning three weeks worth of money should cover it; why continue being paid EMA for every other week of your term?
I myself benefited from EMA during my time at Sixth Form, whilst studying my A-Levels. Honestly, my decision to study A-Levels was not spearheaded by a desire to be gifted £30 a week of government money, more to gain the qualifications that I would need in order to be successful in life. Unfortunately for me, many students at my college were only there to pick up £30 a week of taxpayers money. They had no desire to learn or achieve anything and would come to college each day, mess around and go home every week £30 richer. Did the fact that they had no qualifications bother them when they left? Of course not, they could just walk into another college or go straight into a low-paid job where they could earn enough money to survive.
For me, I did not need EMA for travel. I lived only 20 minutes away from college. As far as books were concerned; yes I should have perhaps bought a few but why bother spending money on something that I could borrow for free from a local library (remember those old fashioned things?) As far as stationary was concerned, I only needed a notepad and a pen and I was good to go, meaning my EMA was spent on my social life.
Whilst it is easy to generalise and tarnish all students with a money-grabbing brush, it is true that some students do travel to college and travel costs these days are far from cheap! However, it is only around £80 for a student to purchase a termly discount (with that infamous student discount tag), which means that again, they only need to use up three weeks worth of money.
At the risk of not only insulting and shocking every student in the country, but also sounding hypocritical, I believe that to scrap EMA payments is no bad thing. However, for those that rely on it for transport costs and textbooks, why not replace it with a start-of-term loan of around £150 that should cover students for the whole term. Whilst EMA has the benefit of being an incentive for students to attend each lesson, why not make the start-of-the-year loan non-repayable for those that achieve excellent results throughout the term and for those that don't, ask for the payment to be returned. At least that way those that are only attending college to pick up some money for nothing will have no reward for their idleness. For those wanting to achieve, they get money to spend on resources they need that they do not have to pay back – its win-win for both the student and the taxpayer.
Yes, students who do not have rich parents need some money to go out and let their hair down but this does not need to be at the expense of government money. Why not do the unthinkable and get a weekend job somewhere to support yourself through your time in college? That way, we are teaching our youth the benefits of working and getting them used to being self-sufficient. That's my view, but then......I'm no government minister.....
Students, please feel free to rant and rave below.....
For students, today has the potential to be disastrous. If your annual household income is less than £30,810 and you are aged 16,17 or 18 about to leave compulsory education for a further education course at a college or Sixth Form, you receive £10, £20, or £30 per week (depending on your family's circumstances) for attending all your lessons punctually. Essentially, its money or nothing!
Actually, its blackmail! The idea behind EMA is that students have financial help in order to pay for all the books, stationary and transport costs associated with going to college. In reality, students are being paid for going to each lesson at college. How much does a few textbooks and pens cost? No more than £100 surely – meaning three weeks worth of money should cover it; why continue being paid EMA for every other week of your term?
For me, I did not need EMA for travel. I lived only 20 minutes away from college. As far as books were concerned; yes I should have perhaps bought a few but why bother spending money on something that I could borrow for free from a local library (remember those old fashioned things?) As far as stationary was concerned, I only needed a notepad and a pen and I was good to go, meaning my EMA was spent on my social life.
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| Dire Straits sang about Money for Nothing - does EMA follow the same principle? |
At the risk of not only insulting and shocking every student in the country, but also sounding hypocritical, I believe that to scrap EMA payments is no bad thing. However, for those that rely on it for transport costs and textbooks, why not replace it with a start-of-term loan of around £150 that should cover students for the whole term. Whilst EMA has the benefit of being an incentive for students to attend each lesson, why not make the start-of-the-year loan non-repayable for those that achieve excellent results throughout the term and for those that don't, ask for the payment to be returned. At least that way those that are only attending college to pick up some money for nothing will have no reward for their idleness. For those wanting to achieve, they get money to spend on resources they need that they do not have to pay back – its win-win for both the student and the taxpayer.
Yes, students who do not have rich parents need some money to go out and let their hair down but this does not need to be at the expense of government money. Why not do the unthinkable and get a weekend job somewhere to support yourself through your time in college? That way, we are teaching our youth the benefits of working and getting them used to being self-sufficient. That's my view, but then......I'm no government minister.....
Students, please feel free to rant and rave below.....
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