Blog: Why I need the Education Maintenance Allowance

Blog: There were more student protests yesterday, not about university tuition fees but about cuts to the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), writes Shrewsbury student Liam Thomas.

This is an education grant aimed at some of the country's poorest teenagers.

The EMA allows students aged 16-18 to stay in education, and yesterday sixth form and college students, together with staff and trade unions, were protesting against the government's plans to cut it.

I currently receive the full EMA - that's £30 a week.

I've been told that I will continue to receive the allowance because, as part of the contract I signed with the EMA people, the payments cannot be terminated halfway through the year (APPARENTLY). I'm relieved about this.

But if I was two years younger, I would seriously be reconsidering if I should be going to sixth form or not.

I'm from a single parent family and our income is well below the limit for full EMA, even though my mum holds down two jobs, so without the weekly payments I probably wouldn't be able to go to college.

The bus fare is £18 a week and then there are books, stationary and printing costs, and that's not including buying food as I take my own lunch (I'm known as Lunchbox Liam). It's quite an expensive time going to college.

The Government has been saying that there will be money available for the poorest of families; I haven't heard anything about these other funds, and with the reputation that Nick Clegg now has, I really don't trust anything those MPs say.

Just this week, I found out that my bonus has been scrapped too. The bonus is £100 given to all EMA students if their attendance is good and they have had good effort grades in the November reports. In other words, it's a reward for doing well.

Losing the bonus is a bit of a pain for me because it means that I won't be able to buy any Christmas presents this year. And before I have people telling me to get off my backside and get a job, I've applied for upwards of 10 different jobs, but to no avail.

I would have joined in with the protests today, but unfortunately I've been poorly with a virus, so I've been showing my support on Facebook and Twitter.

I'm just glad that I've had this financial support so far, and I feel sorry for those people who won't.

I'll leave you with a joke:

Why did Nick Clegg cross the road?

Because he said he wouldn't.