https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2013/feb/27/bring-back-ema-students-urge&sa=U&ei=YdKYUr2gC8SUtAbG_YDQCA&ved=0CA4QFjAFOB4&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNES3WZhokISpcASYaBhX60Cw1eYXQ
Education
The Guardian in it’s issue of 27th of February
published an article on education. The headline of the article I have read is:
« Students urge MPs to restore EMA grant». The article touches upon very
serious problem, which consist in scrapping the Education Maintenance Allowance
(EMA). By the way, what does this acronym mean? The EMA was a grant of up to
£30 a week that allowed over half a million students from some of the poorest
families in the country access to further education; almost 90% of students eligible
for free school meals received the EMA.
The author starts by telling the reader that students
have come up with a new strategy in their fight to get the education
maintenance allowance (EMA) restored. They're urging MPs to support an "early
day motion"- which is a proposal submitted for debate in parliament. Activists on
over a dozen college campuses are organizing petitions, online lobbying and
social media action in an effort to persuade MPs to support disadvantaged young
people so they can continue to study post-16. The author states that most of the
students are not going to give up, because they can’t accept the destruction of
the education system and their future lives. According to the article cancellation
of EMA led to dreadful consequences: the number of students applying to university is in
sharp decline – in 2012 Ucas reported a drop of more than 50,000 people, the
education system suffers a lot. Besides, the cost of the grant is offset by the
benefits, because а
lot of teenagers who received EMA were encouraged to get higher education. The
article goes on to say that leading economists including Jonathan Portes,
director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, have
pointed out, the EMA "delivered significant economic and social
benefits" and was valuable not only to poorer students but "to the
economy as a whole". In conclusion the author admits that young people are
going to struggle for their rights. The main idea is not to give up.
I found the article very important, because it touches
upon very controversial theme. On the one hand the government desn’t have
enough money to finance this project, but on the other hand students shoudn’t
suffer. Personally I think that both rich and poor students must have the same
educational rights and opportunities.
What do you think about this situation?
Thanks for the article! This is very important question and I do agree with you that both rich and poor students must have the same educational rights and opportunities. Nowadays we have many examples of those students from wealthy families who enter the university without any problems with the help of parents' money but they don't want to study at all! They just occupy someone else's place. And there are students from poor families, who work hard being at school to enter the university but in the end they haven't enough money for studying.
ОтветитьУдалитьI hope its students achieve restoration of EMA grant and all the poor students will have all the opportunities for self-realization!
This article has the great importance! I think that the situation is really hard. Students are trying to do their best, but they can't go to the university because of the lack of the money. In my opinion it's not fair that some young people spend their parents' money and don't care about good marks etc. and students who really want to study can't afford it. The education is the privilege of everybody. In my opinion, the government should try to solve the problem, for example, by giving grants, or by making the education less expensive.
ОтветитьУдалитьI believe that the question must be discussing and students must pay more attention to studying, not to earning money for studying.