Seeking reassurance over the replacement for EMA (Julie Smith)

Seeking reassurance over the replacement for EMA

March 15, 2011 2:06 PM

I have sought reassurance that the government's controversial replacement for the Educational Maintenance Allowance would help city youngsters from the poorest backgrounds.

On Saturday, I had the chance to ask the government Advocate for Access to Education, Simon Hughes, about the new Learning Support Fund. I strongly believes it is vital to get this right if young people are to be helped to attend colleges such as Cambridge Regional College and Long Road.

In response to my question during a Q and A session at the Lib Dem Conference in Sheffield, Simon stressed that the EMA replacement should include three elements:

to ensure transport costs are covered so that they are not a barrier to further education;
to ensure attending college is not more expensive than school so dinner money should be included;
to include support of any student with particular special personal or course needs.

Simon stressed that he had had extensive discussions with young people in some of the most deprived parts of the country. And he highlighted the importance of getting more students into further education as a crucial way of widening participation in higher education.

It is fantastic that Simon has made such a clear statement about how he thinks the EMA replacement can serve to help the poorest students.

We can't stop campaigning, however. We need to keep lobbying to ensure that the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and the Treasury recognise the significance of these issues and act on Simon's proposals if we are to facilitate young people attending colleges such as CRC and Long Road. I fully intend to keep the pressure up.