Firstly, many students are committing benefit fraud by claiming to live with their poorer parent (thus being eligible for the grant) but actually living with the wealthier one. This is hard to prove, but wrong.

But my big issue is with the £100 bonuses that these students can claim for turning up to class.

Yes, they need the EMA grants to fund their education. But if £30 a week is what they're getting then it's obviously deemed to be enough for 99.9% of students needs. Why, then, do these students get a £100 bonus 4 times a year, simply for attending class.
They don't even have to be doing all that well, just have to be there.

When I was at college last year I didn't get any bonuses even though I too attended class every day, and then did more than most of these EMA students by actually doing really well in class. Where is my 'you-did-well' bonus!??

The bonus scheme is incredibly unfair and in my eyes is attempted bribery.

Grr.

What do you think?
x

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Regret nothing - without your past You are not You!

i think EMA is so unfair.. none of us should get it, or all of us should get it

simple as

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Chicken

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I didn't know you got a bonus...
I don't think it is fair that people are getting more than they should be. I haven't sent my EMA forms off yet but I was told I would only get £10 per week b/c of my mums salary.

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better than nothing..  

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Chicken

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GOOD!

i think EMA is so unfair.. none of us should get it, or all of us should get it

simple as

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Or it should be regulated better so people who really do need £30 a month to go to school get it and those who don't really need it don't get it?

I think so.

Fundamentally, the idea and rule that children of wealthier parents do not need or should get EMA is a good one.

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Stop the remake!
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please stop complaining. if you want money. work for it.

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I DO work for my money, in two jobs thankyou very much. My point is that the government is wasting so much money on these bonuses that are entirely unncessary. That's £400 a year PER STUDENT that could be better spent increasing London's police forces or reducing homelessness and gang culture gun crime.

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Regret nothing - without your past You are not You!

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Quote: from Dannay at 3:33 pm on Sep. 21, 2008

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GOOD!  

 i think EMA is so unfair.. none of us should get it, or all of us should get it  

 simple as

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Or it should be regulated better so people who really do need £30 a month to go to school get it and those who don't really need it don't get it?

I think so.

Fundamentally, the idea and rule that children of wealthier parents do not need or should get EMA is a good one.

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I agree with that statement, but I don't agree with the bonus scheme since that money is like a reward for doing well. Why should the poorer students be rewarded for their efforts and the wealthier students not?
I always found that within education it was the badly behaved students who were rewarded for one piece of good behaviour and not the consistently well-behaved kids. To me, this is like that: they are rewarded because they're poor, not because they're working hard or acheiving things.

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Regret nothing - without your past You are not You!

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I didn't know you got a bonus...
I don't think it is fair that people are getting more than they should be. I haven't sent my EMA forms off yet but I was told I would only get £10 per week b/c of my mums salary.

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It's bands. The amount you get is dependant on the salary of your parents.

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Stop the remake!
If you're British, click here!
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Fundamentally, the idea and rule that children of wealthier parents do not need or should get EMA is a good one.

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the world was built on a tickle between our legs

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I didn't know you got a bonus...
I don't think it is fair that people are getting more than they should be. I haven't sent my EMA forms off yet but I was told I would only get £10 per week b/c of my mums salary.

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That's probably right, since it is means tested - meaning that you get less of a grant as your family income moves up into the next bracket.
eg. Family 1 earns less than £10,000pa so gets £30 per week
    Family 2 earns £20,000pa so gets £20 per week
etc


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Regret nothing - without your past You are not You!

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I agree with that statement, but I don't agree with the bonus scheme since that money is like a reward for doing well. Why should the poorer students be rewarded for their efforts and the wealthier students not?  
I always found that within education it was the badly behaved students who were rewarded for one piece of good behaviour and not the consistently well-behaved kids. To me, this is like that: they are rewarded because they're poor, not because they're working hard or acheiving things.

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Nah, I wasn't disagreeing with that. It just pisses me off when people can't just be grateful they're getting a free education full stop.

Post edited at 7:42 am on Sep. 21, 2008 by BLUEAUTOMATIC

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Stop the remake!
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