News Education Colleges College principals fear EMA replacements will not be enough

hive-worcester

Bursary scheme still entails a 60% cut in help for poorer students despite additional funding

The news that the education maintenance allowance was to be scrapped, announced in last year's spending review, left college principals feeling gloomy. The means-tested scheme, introduced in 2004, currently provides £10-£30 a week for 16- to 19-year-olds from low-income families to help them meet the costs of staying in education and training.

The replacement bursary scheme promised by the chancellor, George Osborne, offered little in the way of comfort; at just £78m it was a long way short of the £560m annual EMA fund. And without a guarantee of financial support, many in the sector feared young people would be discouraged from continuing their education.

So principals were surprised to learn that the government has suddenly managed to find some extra cash to support such students. In a partial u-turn, announced last week, the government said the replacement bursary fund would now be worth £180m annually, with the biggest amounts (£1,200 per person) given to young people with the greatest needs, such as those in care, leaving care, young parents and those with disabilities.

Under the new scheme, due to be launched in September, colleges will be able to use the remaining £165m to make discretionary payments to those from low-income families. Also promised is additional transitional funding of £194m, to ensure those already receiving EMA will still get help while they complete their course.

But while the additional funding is welcome, college principals point out that this is still a funding reduction of almost 60%, which means there will be substantially less to go round. As Stella Mbubaegbu, principal of Highbury College in Portsmouth, puts it: "While it is larger than expected, it is still considerably less than before, and essentially not enough to target all the disadvantaged young people who rely on its financial support to continue their education."

Many colleges are having to dig deep to subsidise students who would previously have qualified for EMA payments or, under the new funding arrangements, will be entitled to less. More...

Article first appeared at The Guardian,   http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/apr/05/colleges-ema-bursaries-students