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Hannah Wright
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For lots of students, EMA is the difference between staying in education and dropping out - a Guardian survey shows that 7 in 10 16-18 year olds from poor family say they'd drop out without it.
Tomorrow, the NUS will lobby Parliament as MPs vote on this massively contraversial issue. Will you be there?
over 2 years ago
Helper
Education…who wants a revolution?
It's the start of a new decade...What does the future hold for students in England? Following the protests that were ignited by the rise in tuition fees, the end of 2010 saw young people getting out on the streets and shouting about things they really cared about, topics that made them passionate and really standing up for everything they believed in.
If... Read more
over 2 years ago
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Hannah Wright
over 2 years agoShocking survey in the Guardian today - 7 in 10 poor students would drop out of further education if EMA is scrapped. Looks like people are really relying on this cash. I predict a lot more protest on this issue...
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Phillip Ly
over 2 years agoI did my dissertation on higher education policy and it's scary to see how much of a market university study has become. In principle, I think the governments policies have shifted the fundamental purpose of education away from learning for learning's sake to learning to guarantee employment post-graduation. Also, brand name has become doubly important ... do employers genuinely see a History degree... Read more
Phillip Ly
I agree with both comments. Like Sonali said, EMA was pretty much a lifeline for both my sisters and myself and it paid for my food and travel costs to go to college (transports wasn't free back then!!) I'm seriously concerned that without it, my younger brother won't see the point in putting himself through a part time job just to then take a loan and spend even more money on unviersity fees (my... Read more
VHenry Mackintosh
Hey Philip when you say the government should be more vocal about what it plans to replace EMA funding with - are there actually any plans to replace it?
Phillip Ly
Hey, to be honest I'm not too sure, I thought there was speculation that they would use at least some of the EMA money as scholarships or something that would encourage YP from low income backgrounds to stay in further education.
Araba Webber
Hi Philip - The plan is to replace EMA with an enhanced discretionary learner support fund which will be managed by schools, colleges and training providers. The Department for Education is holding consultations with school, college and training organisation representatives to develop the arrangements but the funding is significantly less than it was for EMA. Look here for more info http://tinyurl... Read more
Araba Webber
The Government has just annouced the replacement for EMA - a £180 million bursary scheme targetted at the most vulnerable 16-19 years olds. EMA was worth £560m. Have a look at the details here - http://tinyurl.com/ema-replacement. How will the new plans affect you?