EMA

I don't see EMA as a particularly abhorrent idea any more than I see job seekers allowance as being a waste of tax-revenue, which is what many kids lacking ambition would otherwise be on. The levels of EMA aren't particularly large compared to the overall cost of education are they? Personally I think it probably gives enough teenagers the impetus to continue studying to be beneficial to the economy in the long run, though I don't know of any figures to back this up...
 
Except to get EMA you don't have to study, you don't have to do well, you don't have to put in any effort, you don't have to pass or get good grades, all you have to do is turn up to lessons.
 
Hmm... college students are getting money for doing A-Levels and meanwhile I'm here at Uni barely scratching my way through financially because of the tuiton fees being uncapped this year.

Something isn't right here...
 
If all students got it then it would be a bit more fair, it is supposed to be an inscentive to encourage further education but how can it be when its based on the parents income. As a familly and taking into account our total income, we pay more tax than someone earning the maximum they state as being eligable for claiming EMA. So surely that more than entitles my child to being entitled to the benefit. Ok we may earn more but that does not mean we have anymore "disposable income". With my son going to college its now costing us more than it did when he was at school, ie travel costs,book costs and dinner money etc yet we get no more money. If my son got EMA it would off set the cost.........so we pay more tax and get less. Pay everyone or no one at all !
 
teulk said:
If all students got it then it would be a bit more fair, it is supposed to be an inscentive to encourage further education but how can it be when its based on the parents income. As a familly and taking into account our total income, we pay more tax than someone earning the maximum they state as being eligable for claiming EMA. So surely that more than entitles my child to being entitled to the benefit. Ok we may earn more but that does not mean we have anymore "disposable income". With my son going to college its now costing us more than it did when he was at school, ie travel costs,book costs and dinner money etc yet we get no more money. If my son got EMA it would off set the cost.........so we pay more tax and get less. Pay everyone or no one at all !
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Surely the whole point of it is to encourage teenagers from lower socioeconomic groups (who wouldn't normally stay at school) to continue study, just as students with poorer parents are exempt/subsidised for tuition fees. The whole point is to encourage teenagers from poorer families to continue study, not to pay middle-class children pocket money. Considering this country has a fairly deeply entrenched class system and poor social mobility I don't think this is a bad idea.

And with regard to not being paid to achieve but just to turn up, what would you have as the alternative, payment for good grades?
 
Monkey Puzzle said:
The whole point is to encourage teenagers from poorer families to continue study, not to pay middle-class children pocket money.
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So you're encouraging poorer kids to stay in school by giving them pocket money, yet you don't think it's right to give middle class kids the same thing?
 
The EMA system is total crap. If students want money, they should get a part time job. I was at college for 3 years, and got EMA for 2 of those, and not one penny went towards educational needs. I can also confirm that the system the college uses is total crap aswell, 90% of payments never went in, and I used to just get it backdated every 3 month.
 
So its fair giving one kid EMA as his parents earn £500 less than the kid sat next to him - wow the seconds kids familly have loads of cash to throw around compared to the first. If this is supposed to be an incentive then whats the incentive for the second kid ?

Monkey Puzzle said:
And with regard to not being paid to achieve but just to turn up, what would you have as the alternative, payment for good grades?
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Why not pay them for getting good grades, the incentive is then there to work hard and achieve and not to just turn up because you get money for it.........
 
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I dont honestly why it en-furiates people, EMA really helped me through College, my parents didnt have a lot of money a couple of years ago, its only in the last year or so that they have really got on and they can afford to help my sister out with college, hence why she doesnt get it because my dads earnings are closer to 40k.

The only thing I used to use it for was getting to college and occasionally some food at college if I didnt take my own... Bus fare on its own was £3 a day, admittedly I had a part time job but only for 2 days on the weekend.

As for payment, I used to get mine in every week almost without fail. Its the dumb asses who didnt hand the card in on time that got it backdated constantly. It was only £20 but it helped me tonnes, seeing as I only got paid £14 a night when I worked.
 
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West said:
I dont honestly why it en-furiates people, EMA really helped me through College, my parents didnt have a lot of money a couple of years ago, its only in the last year or so that they have really got on and they can afford to help my sister out with college, hence why she doesnt get it because my dads earnings are closer to 40k.

The only thing I used to use it for was getting to college and occasionally some food at college if I didnt take my own... Bus fare on its own was £3 a day, admittedly I had a part time job but only for 2 days on the weekend.

As for payment, I used to get mine in every week almost without fail. Its the dumb asses who didnt hand the card in on time that got it backdated constantly. It was only £20 but it helped me tonnes, seeing as I only got paid £14 a night when I worked.
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Very well said, the problem is that EMA is being called an incentive when that isnt stricly true. Its more of a benefit and as such can only be claimed if you fall into a certain financial bracket. If it was a true incentive then it would be available to all.
 
So if you didn't get it, and "couldn't afford to go to college" without it, would you all get jobs cleaning toilets or something for minimum wage?

Would you hell. Of course it's an incen....BRIBE.
 
You people who claim EMA have no sense of pride.

That money means nothing and you don't deserve to have it. People seem to think it's their right to be givin hand outs.

You should work for your money and be proud that you have earned that money. If you make it somewhere in life it's because you've been giving hand outs, it through no hard work of your own.

:mad:
 
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Jono said:
So if you didn't get it, and "couldn't afford to go to college" without it, would you all get jobs cleaning toilets or something for minimum wage?

Would you hell. Of course it's an incen....BRIBE.
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In case you didnt read it, I had a job. I worked 2 days a week as a waiter, meaning I had no social life, and the cost of getting to college was un-avoidable because I didnt expect my parents to take me to college everyday as well as pay for everything else at home, atleast this way I was able to in some way... hardly a bribe as the post above yours stated, it was a Benefit to the few that actually used it for what it was for.. and at the same time still have cash to buy some food and drink at college and not have to rely on them constantly for hand me downs.
 
Jono said:
So if you didn't get it, and "couldn't afford to go to college" without it, would you all get jobs cleaning toilets or something for minimum wage?

Would you hell. Of course it's an incen....BRIBE.
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While I was at my sixth form college, I wanted money so that I no longer had to rely on my parents for handouts. I actively found ways for them to stop paying my way. For example my mum kindly paid my first car insurance lump sum as a Birthday present, I made damned sure I could pay for the next one myself!!

How did I do this? I did it by working around 16 hours a week at Homebase, being paid below what those older than 18 know as minimum wage. I was being paid £3.65 an hour, or something around that. It meant that I lost 4 hours 1 day during the week in the evening, 8 hours on a Saturday and 4 hours on a Sunday.

Had EMA been around I would have still worked I imagine, but those that dont feel an obligation to reduce their personal costs incurred by their parents ASAP could quite easily get by on the £30 a week plus bonuses for their general day to day teenage life.

We should not be paying our youth to take an education its abhorent and disgraceful on many different levels.

of course those that recieve the money are going to defend it, if you had an easy source of income that you didnt have to work for, wouldnt YOU defend it?? But at the same time, those that actually donate this money have a right to be outraged and to complain bitterly, whether its jelousy or through a sense of moral outrage...

As said, I have kicked up a stink with my local MP in the Warrington area, and when i'm eligable after moving officially into the manchester area, I shall be doing so there as well.
 
I bet the stats took a massive boost for the number of children in further education just as EMA was released.

Not being cynical of course!
 
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