12:59pm UK, Wednesday January 19, 2011
Thousands of students are due to protest again today as MPs debate plans for further education cuts - this time an allowance that supports study programmes.
The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) was introduced by Labour in an effort to encourage young people from deprived backgrounds to stay on in education after 16.
But the scheme costs £560m a year and the coalition wants it scrapped.
Walkouts and demonstrations are planned at schools and colleges in Leeds, London, Manchester, Norwich and Cornwall.
Dudley College in the West Midlands has 2,500 students aged 16-18 and 80% of them receive EMA, the majority at the higher rate of £30 a week.
Student Anger Over Scrapping Of EMA
"It's money that I can't do without," said student Lorenzo Brown. "It's for transport and for books and it's vital for me, absolutely vital."
He added: "If they take away the EMA a lot of young students are simply going to walk away."
College principal Lowell Williams said plans to cut EMA funding are a "major worry".
"Our biggest fear is that young people will be forced into making the wrong choice at the age of 16," Mr Williams told Sky News Online.
"It could be that they decide to stop attending college or they opt to take a job with no training. It's a big, big worry for colleges up and down the country."
A college lecturers' union has predicted that 70% of students would drop out if EMA is taken away.
But some pressure groups feel the Government's plans are long overdue, describing the allowances as "wasteful" and "hugely expensive".
George Owers, a university student who received the EMA when during his A-levels, accused the Government of "misrepresenting" the allowance.
"It was very important [to me]," he told Sky News at a protest in Cambridge.
He said that while it may be true that some people would stay on in education even without the cash, it can improve attendance.
"It is also a question of the quality of your education while you are studying.
"It means that you can spend more time studying and less doing doing part-time jobs," he added.
No comments:
Post a Comment