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EMA - it's a completely unfair system. For those who have never heard of it, this is a plan dreamt up by the government to encourage more youngsters to go into further education after they finish secondary school. It's called EMA and it stands for Education Maintenance Allowance. Basically, if you go and do A levels full-time, you'll get £30 a week for it. That sounds moderately fair right? I mean, you're not really able to earn much from a job if you're doing this full-time, so it will at least be able to support the costs of your learning (transport, food, books).
This all sounds wonderful doesn't it? But wait...
EMA can't be given to EVERYONE you see... In fact it's only available to those who come from a low-income household. If your parents earn under a certain amount, THEN you will be eligible for EMA. Well hang on a second, where is the incentive for anyone who comes from a decent earning household to even bother continuing education after secondary school?
Does the government expect that our parents are just going to pay for everything? I am one of those non-eligible for EMA, and I can assure you my parents do not give me £30 a week. Unlike many of the people at my college receiving an "educational maintenance allowance", I have to sacrifice a day of my week to earn the some money to support my learning.
Meanwhile, my best friend goes out and spends her EMA money week on sweets, clothes from Primark and a new piercing. She does not have to spend her money on lunches as they're provided free at college for those receiving EMA. Finally, when she's broke her Mother (unemployed) buys everything else that she needs with the money that she's 'earned' from multiple benefits from the government.
Like the vast MINORITY at my college, I'm there to get an education, while at the same time I'm learning how to spend money wisely. Remarks like "I'd skive today but I wouldn't get my EMA" are heard all the time. Why do these people, who are obviously not in the least bit interested in their education, get a place in colleges around the country? All they're doing is adding to the overcrowding problem (this is in fact another gripe).
Either scrap EMA, or make it more fair across the board. And in the meantime, look forward to a future rant about inequality in university bursaries...
By: Pop
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EMA actually helps students, it's up to them how they spend it and quite frankly if you think it should be scrapped just because people who don't need it can't have it, well then you're pretty selfish, you know that?
The next bit is when you get to uni and all your friends are getting grants and bursaries AND money from their parents and you get just enough money to cover your rent...if you're lucky. You'll be the first to break into your overdraft if you want a food shop or a drink once the rent has come out!
Its not fair, but then life isn't fair and hopefully at the end of it all you'll get a better job with better pay to make up for it. Thats my plan anyway!
At 16 there is no need for the extra support. There is a school buscard scheme that allows kids to travel for free if they're more than 3 miles from their destination. The regular bus fare for any kid in uniform is 80p for goodness sake. At secondary school you are paid to stay on, yet at university you have to pay for the privilege? This makes absolutely no sense.
There's simply no reason for an EMA of any kind. I couldn't understand why my mates were talking about having 'being broke' until their EMA came in when I myself was able to get by easily without it.
A few of them only attended school in order to collect EMA. Some were lazy in class and disrupted lessons of genuine hard-working students.
EMA is based on the parents' income. Students that worked still got their EMA.
One lad made a tidy some from running an Internet business, but still got EMA.
What genius thought up this scheme?
Remember every penny of EMA comes out of workers' paypackets.
My parents don't earn much at all, they can barely afford to get themselves to work, let alone to get me to college as well, but because I apparently live in walking distance I'm not eligible. Now granted, I could walk it, if I left 2-3 hours before my college started, and didn't mind walking uphill the majority of the way.
I think there should be more fair ways of doing it, £10 a week for me would be enough, that's all it'd cost for a bus ticket, I'd be happy with that. After all, EMA is supposed to help these people to travel. I don't think it costs £30 to travel for 2-5 days.
It's ridiculous.
Parent of two. One son claiming EMA just for the £30 and another son who is trying to learn but can't, because of the disruption in his class caused by students who only want the £30.
scroungers