The idiots who stormed Millbank Tower yesterday and threw a fire extinguisher from the roof have rightly been condemned for their violent actions. The agitators owe an apology to the primarily peaceful students who protested in London yesterday against education cuts. The media focus has inevitably turned to policing – ignoring the important issues at stake.
A fair bit is known about the impact of rising tuition fees and the cuts to university teaching budgets. Much less is known about the £500 million cuts to the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).
EMAs of £10, £20 or £30 per week are received by 635,000 14-to-19 year olds from families with an income below £30,810. Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows attainment at GCSE and A-level by recipients of EMA has risen by 5 to 7 percentage points since its introduction, and by even more for those living in the most deprived neighbourhoods. Research by RCU Market Research Services found that, “the analysis of learner data seems to provide evidence that EMA has had a positive impact on the retention, achievement and success of certain groups of learners.”
Neither the Conservative nor Lib Dem manifesto made a single mention of cuts to EMAs and the Coalition Programme was also silent. But as reported by Left Foot Forward in January, David Cameron told a Cameron Direct event in Hammersmith:
“We’ve looked at Educational Maintenance Allowances and we haven’t announced any plan to get rid of them. They do often if you go to schools and ask people what they think of them and ask young people themselves, they get quite a mixed reception actually because some people can see them as a bit divisive, but no we don’t have any plans to get rid of them.
At the time Left Foot Forward was heavily criticised by blogger Iain Dale for suggesting that this amounted to a U-turn from the more negative approach to EMAs articulated by Michael Gove and Chris Grayling. Dale pointed to a Guardian article outlining that “The Conservatives say they have no specific plans to reform the EMA” and an exchange in the House of Commons where Michael Gove had said he was “absolutely” in favour of EMAs. But like Lib Dem voters over tuition fees, students have been duped by the Tories on EMAs.
Shadow education secretary, Andy Burnham, recorded a message yesterday on EMAs. He told the Save EMA campaign:
“It is utterly disgraceful really that the Government have just said that they will chop [EMAs]; David Cameron, Michael Gove both gave absolutely clear commitments before the election that they would keep EMA and the fact that they have gone back on that word I think will be seen as a bitter betrayal of young people.”
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28 Responses to “Protest violence distracts from Tory U-turn on Education Maintenance Allowances”
Guy AC
The guy who threw a fire extinguisher off the roof is clearly an idiot, and deserves to be condemned, but the storming of Millbank was a legitimate form of protest and direct action. It’s important to distinguish between “violence” and minor property damage and not play into the narrative of the mainstream media who see the smashing of a few windows as the most heinous crime that’s ever been committed. The invasion and occupation of spaces is a legitimate technique and it’s kind of disheartening to see many on the left rush to condemn it. So with respect, Will, I don’t think it’s right to see this as a “distraction” from the policy detail. I was actually rather pleased that this was seen as a more general protest against the cuts and not just tuition fees. As one veteran leftist said when she heard about Tory HQ being stormed, “It’s about bloody time!”
Ralph Baldwin
Sorry ammendment should read as “Most people would NOT certainly understand or relate to this and it comes across as weird. Especially when peoples real lives are affected.
william
Spot on, Anon E Mouse.Perception is everything,and a mini riot yesterday to be followed by 3 court cases over MPs expenses is a difficult backdrop.We need to constructively oppose on the economy and welfare, in a measured way. There is a vacuum at present.
13eastie
“Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows attainment at GCSE and A-level by recipients of EMA has risen by 5 to 7 percentage points since its introduction”
You’ll have to do a bit better than that.
Exam results were dumbing down for decades prior to EMA’s. 20 years of successive A-Level improvements, were it down to chance, could be expected to happen once every 1,048,576 years (that’s 2^20).
They have, on the other hand, given people a sense of entitlement to payment for participating in the state education system. As witnessed yesterday.
If students are unwilling to pay a penny, EVEN AFTER THEY HAVE REAPED THE SUPPOSED REWARDS, for their “higher” education, first, the value of the qualifications on offer is called into question, and, second, why in the world should they expect anyone else to fork out?
EMA’s were part of the problem.
But you’re right about one thing: the mindless violence perpetrated yesterday by Aaron “we will use every weapon in our armoury” Porter’s followers at his shambolic mob DEMOLITION event has completely overshadowed their “cause” (which not one person has managed to articulate coherently or consistently). Justly so.
David Landon Cole
RT @leftfootfwd: Protest violence distracts from Tory U-turn on Education Maintenance Allowances http://bit.ly/9vQhWI