Government's scrapping of EMA criticised by MP

Students protest the scrapping of EMA

GRAHAM STUART MP is in the national spotlight once again after the House of Commons Education Select Committee - which he chairs - strongly criticised the way that the Government scrapped the Educational Maintenance Allowance.

The EMA was a £560m fund aimed at helping poorer 16 - 19 year olds stay in education by providing a means-tested grant of up to £30 a week. Its abrupt scrapping left many young people unable to work out exactly what funding would be available to them.

The Select Education Committee said in a report published today that the "sudden decision" to drop the EMA and replace it with a bursary scheme was made "far too late" to allow Year 11 students to make fully informed decisions on what they will do the following year. The report states: "That delay was regrettable and should not have been allowed to happen." and "The Government should have done more to acknowledge the combined impact on students' participation, attainment and retention, particularly amongst disadvantaged sub-groups, before determining how to restructure financial support."

Graham Stuart MP, is quoted on Parliament's House of Commons website:

“Young people taking life defining decisions at 16 need clear information on the support they may receive and deserve better than rushed and ill thought through reforms. We accept that changes and savings need to be made but the organisation of the change has been far from smooth. Decisions on how much will be available for distribution by each school or college have been taken far too late, and it is 16 year olds who have suffered uncertainty as a result. That should not have been allowed to happen.”

The Report is available to read online at the Parliament House of Commons website: Participation by 16-19 year olds in education and training.