Have Your Say on a possible replacement for EMA

Pricey3916

I personally think EMA brings students into college, not them wanting to go to college themselves. I think when there will be no EMA a lot less students will be going to college!
I did a survey while at college and only 15% of students spent their EMA for the right reasons!!

Oldernotwiser

Pricey3916 wrote: »

I personally think EMA brings students into college, not them wanting to go to college themselves. I think when there will be no EMA a lot less students will be going to college!
I did a survey while at college and only 15% of students spent their EMA for the right reasons!!

There are no "right reasons"! If it's brought students into college then the scheme has been a success.

The_One_Who

The thing with EMA was that there was no consistency in what the money was really for. One minute it was for school supplies, the next it was for whatever you wanted it to be for.

Although it did bring people in, there were a lot of people (at my school) who would not have stayed on if it hadn't been for the EMA. The resulted in disruptive classes for those who did want to learn, at least in some classes. It was easy money for them, granted only £30 a week, but still easy.

Mrs_Arcanum

If you look at all these things in a slightly different way. When many MP's left school at 16 they could go straight & get payments from Social Services if there was not a job available. They got free University tuition & grants if they had a university or college place.

The students at the moment do not have to stay on until 18; only those currently in year 7 (11/12 year olds) will have to do so. So there is a bit of a gap between compulsory and voluntary further education for a few more years. For some families it is the difference between managing bus fares & books and not managing at all. For others the EMA is a lovely bonus. Because means testing is now almost taboo there are huge discrepancies in the payment vs real need. Not all students can get part time jobs, nor can all students get the courses they want at a convenient location.So the idea of free bus passes for those who need it with vouchers for books perhaps would cover the basic needs is probably the fairest.

Carnaby_lamb

I would say free transport, but if you live in the country, like I did, car was the only real means- so that doesn't always help.

Personally, I'd say just bring back the old system pretty much.

For me it meant I could focus on my studies, and not HAVE to spend my weekend working just to afford to attend college.
Plus, my 6th form were pretty strict to get it each week anyway.

HappyEnough

My daughter is coming to the end of her two year course at College and is hoping to go to Uni in September. We are from a low income family and have four teenage children living at home still, of which of these she is the eldest. I am a sahm, and up until xmas my DH was long term unemployed, therefore my DD was able to get her bus AND train fare to college paid for in full, thus freeing up her EMA. DD has worked part time since the age of 16 (now 18) and to be perfectly frank has used her EMA the whole of these two years to PARTY, buy clothes, PARTY, PARTY, oh, and PARTY. Her wages also go on this....and she is using her EMA to put it aside each week to pay for a week abroad with her friends when college finishes....oh to be 18! DH thankfully has been employed (yayayyyyy) since xmas and as a consequence DD now has to reluctantly pay for her own train and bus fares to college from April until July.
Which I absolutely think the EMA should be used for anyhow.
My son is in his final year at school and looking for an apprenticeship for when he finishes, he did want to go to the college his sister was at but as we would now have to pay the transport costs of £165 per term he either will have to get a part time job to fund this himself, or go to one locally, which I have said he must should he be unable to get an apprenticeship.
I think that EMA should not be replaced, the majority of my DD's friends all spend their EMA on partying, they should learn to stand on there own two feet and get part time jobs to fund themselves through further eductation. It never did me any harm. Giving kids EMA simply introduces them to Benefits, and does not teach them that to get things in life they need to work hard.

hushabye

EMA or lack of it in my son's case was the main reason he left college last year. He was thoroughly disillusioned that his mates were receiving this extra payment whilst he had to rely solely on his weekend wages. We were £100 a year over the threshold but with young children also meant that our household expenditure far exceeded that of his friends' parents. With their EMA they were able to take driving lessons and spend it on evenings out. He quit college because he wanted to keep up with them and needed more money to do that. Fortunately he's a good lad with a strong work ethic and has full-time work. I just hope he doesn't regret it later.
All benefits should be issued as vouchers, exchangable only for the category of assistance needed, be that food, childcare, stationery or whichever. Specifically targeted assistance would prevent abuse of the welfare system.

yorkshireman99_2

I only know one person who received the EMA and the money was used for family foreign holidays. The rules must be changed so that only those who actually need it for education get it.

gabbialice

It's been interesting reading this. I am a tutor in FE and I see both sides but I would honestly say that it's 'abused' in over 90% of cases. In my own opinion, EMA was the worst thing to happen in Further Education. Someone said earlier that if it brought students in then it was a success, but at what price? Foul-mouthed, abusive, racist, sexist young people making the lives of others (students and staff) a misery. They are quite open about why they are at college (for the EMA) and I have also known instances (as in a previous post) where the money is taken by a parent as soon as it's paid out for 'keep'. I have also been on the receiving end of abuse from parents and their children when EMA has been withheld.

I have long been an advocate of using the student's ID card as a sort of 'credit card' whereby it can be topped up and used to buy a bus pass or pay for printing or photocopying (not always available at home) or buy lunch, all within the college itself. What it will not pay for then is a bottle of vodka or some 'green' or a night out.

The qualifying criteria is also a bit of a joke as pointed out here by a student -

EMA is odd. My mate's dad is a millionaire but he still gets EMA because he lives with his mum.

By the way, nobody has mentioned the bonuses of £100 paid out in January and July.
Sorry if this has been a bit long, it's a subject very close to my (and my colleagues) heart.

gothgirl123

I work at a local college and have known some parents to take the child's EMA payments off them (even though it's compulsory for the payment to be made direct into the child's bank account and NOT the parent's) so that they can use it towards supporting the family.

Our college provides each student with £20 worth of printing at the beginning of the academic year which does see some of them through, but those who study on art, design, computing etc often print more and therefore run out quicker.

I think a good replacement would be to re-instate free bus travel for full time students - I had this when I was a student at college 8 years ago and helped a lot. I had a part time job so had to work for any extra 'play' money I wanted.

I know the local government subsidises bus travel but it's still a lot of money for some families to pay out (I assume it's the same subsidy rule across the country?)