Have Your Say on a possible replacement for EMA

sla66

Taiko wrote: »

I could turn anyone who thinks that higher education is a right into Stephen Hawking.

Just need to find a few wheelchairs.

That is utter nonsense, what a stupid immature thing to say, its people like you who give this country problems...

XRAT

EMA's persuade kids who shouldn't be at school to stay on disturb the education of those who want to get on. If money is to be provided..., it should be earned, be it that the council give them an area to clear of rubbish on a building to decorate.
Many of the kids we know who recieve EMA's, do so only because the parents don't declare their income. What an education EMA's are!

freuchiehunt

The majority of my daughter's friends received EMAs. They have been able to save up their EMAs for luxuries like concerts and holidays. We're parents who are deemed to earn enough to fund our children for these luxuries but the fact is that we simply can't. It is a very unfair system.

The_One_Who

Tripleeagle wrote: »

This is untrue in my school, and in any other schools I have heard of. Visit TheStudentRoom.co.uk, the biggest student forum in the world, and you will see that most teenagers on there agree with the scrappage of the scheme. "Very few" is a more appropriate description of the number of people who spend their allowance on their education.

You imagine that the media is exaggerating everything. But, for once, you can actually trust the press!

Whilst TSR can be a great resource, it is most definitely not representative of the general UK school population. Most posters on there come from rather well-off, even privileged backgrounds and they have rather skewed views when it comes to career choices and opinions on career success.

hunterrose

I read with interest all the posts, issuing travel passes would cost a lot more than the current system of EMA. Local Councils are already cutting subsidised bus routes and struggling to keep free travel for the elderly (which by the way should not be availabe to those at 60 years old still working!) The current travel arrangements for statutory school age children is also currently under threat due to the massive cost.
The groups of young people this will really impact on is those in care and young carers. Young people in care do not have parents receiving benefits for them or working and providing them with a good role model. Many are starting off on a journey of uncertainty and trying to live independantly. EMA was a vital support for them. EMA was standardised to include those young people also attending training schemes, does this mean that they will not receive it either? I am against creating a benefit dependancy culture but we do need to help those who through no fault of their own are severely disadvantaged due to the actions of adults that were meant to care for them. Colleges should be helped to develop a fund that can provide a bursary to those most in need.

Ireallycare.com

This could have been written by me! I totally agree with you. We are on a low income too and my son has a little independence with his EMA. He does not have to ask for money and is learning how to budget. The school do use it as a motivator or its withdrawal threat for punitive measures and it certainly works.
Many have said they should find part time jobs but in this climate it is impossible and lets face it difficult enough if you are looking for work when not in school.!
Not all these young people live in towns and cities where transport and work is on the doorstep and the EMA is a lifesaver to them.
We seem to have developed a culture now where the young are continually victimised to the extent they must feel as if no one cares. Personally, I think any incentive for including and engaging the young is worth every penny. Lets face it a years EMA for the lowest income family, amounts yearly to roughly what an MP would claim for 8 weeks food allowance in their second home!

Oldernotwiser

Tripleeagle wrote: »

You call 'bribing students to stay on after 16' a "success"? If people are staying on so that they can get £10-30/week, they are staying on for the wrong reasons. As a consequence, you have people who are attending classes which they clearly don't want to be in, you have students wasting two years of their life when they could be doing real work of some kind, and in addition to that it's costing the taxpayer hundreds of millions a year.
.

As the scheme was intended to encourage more young people to remain in education then, if it's done so, it is undoubtedly a success.

If there was the possibility of young people getting some kind of "real work" for these years then the scheme would not have been needed. As there's little possibility of this then it's surely better for them to be doing something positive with their time rather than hanging round on street corners?

You might like to see that economists consider the scheme to have been cost effective.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11998992

Oldernotwiser

hunterrose wrote: »

The groups of young people this will really impact on is those in care and young carers. Young people in care do not have parents receiving benefits for them or working and providing them with a good role model. Many are starting off on a journey of uncertainty and trying to live independantly. EMA was a vital support for them. EMA was standardised to include those young people also attending training schemes, does this mean that they will not receive it either?

Young people in care are amongst those who have least need of EMA as all their expenses are paid by Social Services.

listera

Nothing should replace it!

Samuraiman89

poet123 wrote: »

It depends on how you define success;) In many cases it has been at the expense of those in the class who want to learn.



The above echoes my experience as a tutor. :T

EMA being abused by over 90% of cases! Yeah right.

I was only able to make ends meet by working two jobs and receiving EMA during my two years at college. Throughout all this I never divulged any information regarding my financial situation to my friends, let alone my tutors, therefore your perspective as a tutor is irrelevant in my opinion. No offence intended.