Education Maintenance Allowance

[Netty7]

Does anyone else think that EMA for students is unfair. It is a weekly allowance, up to �30, by the government paid to students who stay on into further education. Then throughout the year, depending on attendance and performance, bonuses of say �100 can be paid. But as with most of these things it is means tested. My son has just started the sixth form, but won't get it like many of his friends because our income is over a certain amount, but this doesn't mean that we can afford to pay him the same allowance. Therefore what incentive do these students have for attending and performing well when others are getting paid to do the same??

[meltoadhall]

personally I dont think any child should get money for staying at school. they should do it to get the qualifications and a decent job or uni place.
but I didnt know it was means tested.

[Suzyboo]

The intention is to let children from the poorer families attain more qualifications rather than feel forced to leave school and earn a wage. It is not a sufficient amount to encourage people to stay on unless they wish to study anyway, just to ease the practicalities slightly for the relevant families.

[Teddio]

The incentive to attend and perform well is to receive the best education and to leave school with good qualifications. Some students think they should be paid for attending school as they are "working". Such students will get a shock when they leave school and find out the real cost of education. The EMA is an incentive to many students to attend school when they'd be better off following a vocational route such as an apprenticeship.

[Sasha13]

When I was at sixth form I had to work a 7 hour shift on a friday night (after a full day at college) to fund my weeks travel because my Mum couldn't afford to give me the bus fair.

It makes me sick that students now a days get paid for going to further education. Totally fuels the 'life owes me' attitude.

[laura_123]

I'm a student and i receieve the full amount of EMA. After getting my AS level results I have realised i need to spend �48 resitting 4 exams in which i didn't do aswell as i'd hoped. My mum is a single parent, and there is no way she could afford to just hand over that much money to resit my exams. My EMA covers this. My friend's resit's however, are quite easily paid by their parents.
Although EMA isn't spent exactly how it should be, and i'm aware most parents can't afford to give their children the same amount as students with EMA get every week, but you'll find most parent's who earn a higher income, can often afford to pay for things such as resits, educational trips, revision guides, etc, where as parent's on a lower income often can't.
It is unfair, but it also gives students whose parent's are on a lower income, to reap the benefits of a decent education aswell, regardless of whether their parent's can afford travel, etc.

[Sasha13]

oh the shame

I've just realised that I spelt 'fare' as 'fair'.

Good to see my education didn't go to waste!

laura_123 - I understand your argument, but I went to sixth form 10 years ago, before the EMA - my Mum couldn't afford to give me money either, as I mentioned - but I (and lots of others like me) managed - and my Sixth Form was 16 miles away from home, so travel wasn't cheap!

[chrisvaughan]

i am in my second year of 6th form now, and i am recieving �30 a week through EMA, but.. last year, i accumulated around �900 through EMA i think... not sure how much, but i havent touched a penny of it..... but i dont need to as my mum funds everything through her pension... but then i see my friends, both parents out working, and themselves working... not to get any EMA at all.... personally i believe anyone staying on for 6th form/college, should recieve the same amout of EMA to offer all incentives, i mean my friends just turn up when they want now, as they dont have an incentive to come in for every lesson, and because of that, their grades slip slightly... but the EMA is the cause, as i never miss a day because of it and my grades reflect that