Is EMA Fair???

laurenx_2

it's horribly flawed! last year, my dad had a job and earned over approx £30,000. he doesn't have this job anymore, and we're now quite poor, because the EMA goes on last tax year's earnings, so I can't actually get it! some people need it, they should make exceptions.

Oldernotwiser

laurenx wrote: »

it's horribly flawed! last year, my dad had a job and earned over approx £30,000. he doesn't have this job anymore, and we're now quite poor, because the EMA goes on last tax year's earnings, so I can't actually get it! some people need it, they should make exceptions.

Now that I do agree would be an improvement; if the SLC can reassess when income drops dramatically, I really can't understand why EMA can't do the same.

However, I believe that the exception to this is if the famil yis now living on means tested benefits, then EMA can be reassessed.

samperry209

Ive been getting EMA since i was 16 im nearly 19 now...so this is my last year of EMA before ALG

I can honestly say ive used every penny for the purpose

Train fares in year 1 £22 a week...
Last year i used it on equipment and lunch (ok lunch yes ....)
this year its trains again as i moved house!...

Now this is where im gonna complain

i was 90SECONDS late so for this im gonna lose my payment next week

is this fair?... 90 seconds.. and i thought the lesson start half past so in fact i thought i was being early getting to my classroom for 20 past!

Oldernotwiser

Late is late, even by 90 seconds.

What happens when the next person wanders in 3 minutes late and the one after that, 5 minutes? The line has to be drawn somewhere and your college has, quite rightly, decided to apply the rules rigorously. Learn a lesson from this and move on.

looby75

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

The people who the government are trying to motivate to be in college wouldn't be doing this as opposed to getting a job; they'd be hanging round on street corners wasting their lives. The fact that you would think that people are being encouraged to remain in education rather than getting a full time job shows how little you understand the situation.

My friend has a daughter the same age as mine (that's how we met when they both started nursery together) she didn't do very well at school and was in trouble a fair bit. She used to truant and it was a constant running battle in their house to get her to school.

I saw my friend earlier today for the first time since her daughter had started her childcare course at college and asked how she was getting on. She said that she was doing fine and that she was like a totally different person, getting up on time and going to college every day no arguments. I said it must mean she like the course then and my friend said she does but she likes the £30 a week EMA and the promise of a bonus at christmas if she gets all her assignments in on time even more She freely admits if she wasn't getting that money she would have dropped out already as she's not a mornings person.

Oldernotwiser

looby75 wrote: »

I saw my friend earlier today for the first time since her daughter had started her childcare course at college and asked how she was getting on. She said that she was doing fine and that she was like a totally different person, getting up on time and going to college every day no arguments. I said it must mean she like the course then and my friend said she does but she likes the £30 a week EMA and the promise of a bonus at christmas if she gets all her assignments in on time even more She freely admits if she wasn't getting that money she would have dropped out already as she's not a mornings person.

What a great success story - that's exactly how it's supposed to work!

Forgetful

well thanks to bestpud!!
i have phone tax credit and i am entitled to tax credit for my son!!

zildjian

bestpud wrote: »

It's not so shocking for those of us with an understanding of the mind set of those students who need the motivating.

Are you suggesting your family has not benefited in many ways from working their way up the ranks? You and they may feel hard done by in this way, but there is numerous advantages to having a higher socio-economic status.

The students from lower income families probably feel they have been 'left out' throughout their lives! And many have hard working parents too! Believe it or not, people work hard for the minimum wage and often have less annual leave and less likelihood of other benefits such as sick pay! Don't fall into the trap of thinking they are all sat on their butts doing nothing all day!

As for HE, I cannot understand how it can be appropriate to offer funding to children from families who are able to help out their children in all sorts of ways.

Yes, if there was a bottomless pit of money, but there is not. The line has to be drawn somewhere and income has to be the primary factor.

You would still go to college and uni if nobody received funding but many of those who receive this money would not. Your parents would find the money but many could not.

You may feel hard done by but that doesn't make it ok to restrict HE to those who can afford it!

But why don't they give them loans instead of bursaries? (obviously this is directed to people in education above high school level).

I think my whole point of view is because most of the people who i knew who got it would have went to high school etc with or without it. Its anoying to see someone who is well off getting £30 cause his parents are seperated! How does that work?

Oldernotwiser

zildjian wrote: »

But why don't they give them loans instead of bursaries? (obviously this is directed to people in education above high school level).

I think my whole point of view is because most of the people who i knew who got it would have went to high school etc with or without it. Its anoying to see someone who is well off getting £30 cause his parents are seperated! How does that work?

But it's at high school level that EMA is applicable! You can't have 16-17 year olds take out loans, it's not legal and even at 18, many people in FE aren't likely to be going on to well paid careers which would justify borrowing money to train.

No system is ever going to be perfect and there is always going to be the occasional anomaly like you describe. Thus will also carry on at university level where finance will be based on the income of the resident parent even if the absent one is wealthy and contributing.

Life is full of grey areas and very few systems get it right all the time - get used to it!

zildjian

Fair play to the lady who got into nursing and is doing well at it. But i think its a waste of £30 just so she can be bothered to get up in the morning... I mean seriously?

I think its unfair to generalise people based on their parents income. In my school anyway, their was the people who wanted an education and would have stayed on without getting the money. Then there was people who didnt really care, but attended, and were complete anoyances in the classroom.