Save EMA

Photo: EMA advert by LSC

At the age of sixteen and coming to the end of my time at high school I was left with two options; apply to the grammar school which initially rejected me or apply to sixth form colleges in Manchester town centre. I went for the latter choice, although the cost of travelling this distance was something I could not have afforded if I was not earning, and something my mother did not have the funds for.

Thankfully I was lucky enough to receive EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance), and the £30 a week really did make the difference and helped to cover the cost of transport, books and equipment. Without this money I do not think I would be where I was today, and my education may have had to come to a full stop after high school.

It was revealed earlier this week that the coalition government intends to remove the EMA scheme by Christmas 2010, due to an overspending on education. Sixth forms and colleges have not even bothered to send EMA applications out to this years incomers, so certain that the scheme will come to an end.

Without EMA school leavers from the poorest of backgrounds will be discouraged to apply to sixth forms and colleges if they do not have financial backing, which leads to a somewhat unfair education system.

And with part time jobs hard to come by alongside the cuts to college bursaries, those who need EMA will be eliminated from the option of being able to continue their studies.

If the government cannot afford to continue the EMA payments, they should plan other ways to enable those from poor backgrounds to enter higher education. Extending scholarships, creating schemes to encourage poor students or even free school bus services so that students who do not live near a sixth form or a college can make the journey.

Otherwise, we will live in an unfair society with a very unfair further education system.

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Too Much Too Young

Last week saw the beginning of the summer holidays for the UK's youngsters as the schools finished for the summer. And for some children it is somewhat of a rites-of-passage ceremony, particularly for those who are in their final year of schooling.

In my cousin's year 6 class at a primary in southern Manchester, some of the parents wanted to celebrate their bright young things transition from primary to secondary school. A selection of the parents organised stretch limousines and hummers to pick up their daughters, as well as sons, outside the school gates on their last day of primary school and take them onto laser quest or for a meal at a restaurant in town. One of the vehicles parked up outside the classrooms included a bright pink playboy hummer.

And this doesn't just seem to be just an occurrence at this one quasi middle class primary school in Manchester. Through further research and speaking to other parents it appears to be a ritual eleven year old tweenagers expect and demand. But what happens when they are finishing secondary school, college and university? Demand a red carpet and arrival by helicopter?

The phenomena of parents with more money then sense appears to have been picked up on recently by the media, coinciding with BBC 3's adult season this month. One television programme that featured was My Child's Big Fat Birthday Party which saw mums and dads shedding thousands of pounds to celebrate their children's birthday parties. The collective age of the children in the programme was around ten.

A scene from the documentary included a group of mothers after a yoga class discussing the trend of the parties, with one lady rightly pointing out that giving kids everything on a silver platter when they are so young will cause a generation with no drive.

I remember taking up part time jobs from the age of sixteen so I could afford to save up and buy an I-pod, or have money to go out at the weekend. Now I've heard of children as young as nine years old who have their own I-phones and laptops. If children are given everything they want and more, what are they going to want to work for and have the self satisfaction of earning it? And what are they going to look forward to when they are older?

I wonder what rate pocket money is going for these days.

From graduation to signing on

This week sees the majority of my peers donning their scholar caps and graduating, after three years of hard graft studying towards their undergraduate degrees.

And the question on everybody's lips during the ceremony is that question most graduates dread to hear “So...what next?”

For a handful of my close friends the answer is signing on. I even have one friend who went to the job centre straight after her graduation ceremony still wearing her robes.

My friend who wishes to remain anonymous said, “My plan is to find any kind of job, then do a year of travel before I decide what I really want to.”

“However, I'm struggling to find even part-time bar work so I had to sign on for job-seekers allowance. I've got a £2000 overdraft and I'm desperate.”

According to The Higher Education Policy Institute unemployment amongst graduates under 24 has risen by 25%, which takes the gloss off the excitement of graduation and “What's next?” somewhat.

* * *

On the subject of signing on, ousted Labour MP for Nottinghamshire Nick Palmer was reported to have received job seekers allowance after missing out on a seat to the Tories.

However, rather than actually needing the money Palmer was reported to have said he wants to “explore what it's like for myself” and is believed to be the first ever MP who has applied for unemployment benefits.

Jobseekers can claim up to £65 a week, but Palmer who earns money from working freelance as a translator will only claim around £5 a week.

Thus, Palmer will not really be exploring what it's like for himself, having previously earned £60,000 a year in the past.

On the whole, I believe Palmer's experiment is patronising to those who need and rely on the full £65 a week of jobseekers allowance.

For Palmer being on jobseekers allowance is just a temporary experiment, an extra bit of money that will make no difference to his income. The reality of being on jobseekers allowance is something Palmer will never fully see for himself.

Community warmth amid the U.K. snow

Whilst the U.K. has been quilted in a white blanket and public transport has been going haywire, community spirit seems to have increased bringing some warmth during the sub zero temperatures.

Dog-walkers passing by comment on how bad the roads are, neighbours digging together to clear driveways and people looking out for old ladies trapped inside are all rare sights I have witnessed this week during The Big Freeze in Manchester.

I experienced my own slice of community spirit earlier this week when it was my mum's birthday. Due to the treacherous road conditions no family or friends could come and visit her, and the meal we had planned out had to be cancelled. Poor old mum was moping around with only me for company, and a can of mushy peas in stock for her birthday tea.

But when the neighbours found out it was her birthday and she was stuck inside with no form of celebration, the women of the street gathered forces and raided their alcohol supplies turning up out of the blue at the door. Suddenly my mum was hosting an impromptu party, and we were surrounded by several neighbours of all ages. Coronation Street eat your heart out.

Ok, most of them had probably got fed-up of only having their own families as social contact for a week, but it was still a really kind gesture.

So to the residents of the Ave - thank you for saving my mum's birthday.

Making alcohol more expensive will not solve anything

According to news reports in The Independent, supermarkets charge less for a bottle of beer than they do for a bottle of water. A scathing report published yesterday by the Health Committee has announced that drinks prices in the U.K. are worryingly low. The report suggests 3,000 lives a year would be saved, if the minimum price of a unit of alcohol was 50p.

If this was to happen, I don't think it would make any difference to the binge drinking problems Britain suffers from. I think the regular punters on a Friday and Saturday night will still get obliterated on alcohol, regardless of the increase in price of their glass of vino or pint of lager.

In reality, it is Britain's attitude towards drinking that causes problems and not the cheapness of alcohol. Why is it in England there is an obsession for getting absolutely off your face? A feature on my university's website about Carnage in Sheffield exemplifies this.

In other countries alcohol is regarded in a completely different way. Take France for example. Children are introduced to drinking alcohol at a young age, and are brought up with a laid-back, all in moderation approach to alcohol. A night out is not a big deal in France, you may meet up for after work drinks and have a few glasses of alcohol, but nobody gets legless.

My Parisian friend Marion does not understand the 'living for the weekend' attitude we have in England, drinking is just something that might happen on a night out, but it is not the reason for going out. When I went out in Paris with a friend last year, we didn't understand why men passing us by would shout "English, English" at us, how could they tell? Because we were dressed up to the nines, making a big deal of going out and getting tipsy, which is just not the approach French people have towards alcohol.

If the price increase in alcohol does go ahead, I don't think we are going to be seeing sober streets in England anytime soon. The answer lies in teaching people moderation, and approaching alcohol with a far more laid-back perspective towards it than which we have.