“We won’t scrap the EMA”: Michael Gove, Guardian, Tuesday 2 March 2010
20 October 2010: George Osborne announces that EMA will be cut
As part of the Comprehensive Spending Review, the government is cutting Education Maintenance Allowances. This will have a massive impact on those families in our communities who most need support to undertake education.
In 2009/10, 635,000 learners received at least one EMA payment, and around 80 per cent of those the full £30.
These are lower income families: the maximum payment was only paid to those with total household incomes of less than £20,817 in 2009/10.
Students in areas where people are more likely to have no qualifications are most dependent on the weekly financial support. In some areas of Birmingham, Leicester and the North West as many as four-fifths of students receive the EMA.
EMA plays a vital role in helping families to support learners through their education, reducing their dependence on part-time employment and ensuring that they can continue in their studies.
Research conducted by the Institute of Fiscal Studies revealed that the EMA increased the proportion of males staying on in full-time education by 7.4% and females by 5.9%.
This is a punitive, cruel, unfair and inadequately evidenced cut on the most vulnerable and those in the greatest need.
It is yet another nail in the coffin of the democratic goal of extending access to education as a pathway out of poverty and inequality. It will also put even more college jobs across the country at risk.
It is yet another nail in the coffin of the economic goal of building a skilled workforce to restore future prosperity.
NUS, UCU, UNISON, NUT, Unite, GMB, ATL and NASUWT are campaigning to persuade the government to reverse this cut.
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Hi
Our college Student Union has staged a protest outside the college and have got over 100 signatories – but where do we send the petition to?
Thanks
Jamie Hamilton
Hi Jamie,
That’s fantastic.
Send completed petitions to Justine Stephens at UCU head office:
University and College Union
Carlow Street
London
NW1 7LH
United Kingdom
PLEASE show this to as many people as you can!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQFwxw57NBI&feature=player_embedded
Hi just wondering if current year 12 students receive EMA, will this mean that we will not get it next year or do the new EMA cuts apply only to those enrolling on to year 12 in sept 2011?
ALL EMA is stopped in sep 2011, even if you currently get it
Here is the reply I received from my MP’s office – unfortuantely I do not have the detailed knowledge to respond adequately …
Thank you for your email to Martin Horwood MP.
EMA is not a good way of targeting help at those who need it most to stay on at school or college after 16. There is a considerable body of evidence, not just the NFER research you mention, that somewhere in the region of 80-90% of those who receive it would continue in education anyway.
To ensure that those who really need the help to stay on receive help, an extra £52m is going into the enhanced discretionary learner support fund. Discretionary Support Funds are available in colleges and school sixth forms to help with learning costs and are prioritised for those who face financial hardship.
Thank you for raising this issue and do let me know if you would like to come and discuss this with Martin in person.
David Fidgeon
Assistant to Martin Horwood MP
01242 224889
anotherwords, they told you a load of rubbish to shut you up