The NUS EMA Satisfaction Survey 2010, the results of which will be presented to MPs in Westminster this evening, also found that 55 per cent of those who receive the EMA would not be able to continue in further education without it.
NUS is calling for the top rate of the EMA to be increased to £40 per week, in line with inflationary rises which have not been applied since the allowance was introduced in 2004. The current top rate is just £30 a week.
The survey of over 1,600 learners also found that:
- One in five learners find the application process for EMA “difficult” or “very difficult”;
- The income assessment fails to take into account multiple children or more than one claimant in the family;
- Significant changes in family income in the middle of the year, such as a parent losing their job, are not taken into account.
NUS Vice President for Further Education, Shane Chowen, said:
“No one should be in any doubt as to just how important the EMA is to students from low-income families. However, there are some improvements which need to be made. It is not acceptable that so many poorer students are unable to afford the basic costs of further education. The top rate of the EMA has not been raised in line with inflation for the last six years, and we believe that it is time that the Government redressed this imbalance.
“The Government must also remove the bureaucratic obstacles which prevent many students from receiving the funds they need. At a time of economic uncertainty, when many families are living with the threat of redundancy, the system must be changed to allow students to reapply for the EMA if their family circumstances change in the middle of the academic year.”
NUS also criticised colleges for being inflexible and unresponsive to the needs of those with long-term health conditions. Some colleges have been reported as refusing to give the EMA to those who cannot attend classes because of doctor’s appointments.
Shane Chowen added:
“Some colleges have been too eager to withhold the EMA from students who cannot attend because of health conditions. The Young Persons Learning Agency must make the guidance on EMA much stronger, so that the rules regarding Reasonable Authorised Absence are perfectly clear to students and colleges.”
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