Scrapping EMA 'stacks the odds' against poor, says Burnham
Young people see a government that is kicking away the ladder of opportunity, says shadow education secretary as he opens debate on decision to scrap the EMA
The government is "stacking the odds" against young people from poorer backgrounds seeking to make a success of their lives, Andy Burnham, the shadow education secretary, warned today as he urged the government to "rethink" its decision to scrap the education maintenance allowance (EMA).
Burnham delivered an impassioned speech as he opened a debate on the issue as campaigners mounted a day of action in protest at the decision.
Critics argue that abolishing EMA will lead to thousands of teenagers giving up on their studies, but the coalition claims the grant made little difference to whether they remained in education.
The EMA is a weekly payment of between 10 and 30 given to the poorest 16-to 18-year-olds living in households earning under 30,800 a year, to help them stay in education.
The shadow minister said its unexpected abolition presented a double betrayal of young people from poor backgrounds also facing the tuition fees rise, and risked "throwing into reverse" the "incredible" human and social progress made since the 1980s.
Michael Gove, the education secretary, later lambasted the opposition for ignoring the "elephant in the room" in the shape of the deficit the coalition government had been left to deal with.
Burnham began his speech by telling MPs that the "positive impact" the EMA had on helping young people to stay in education by helping students with the "basics", such as travel and books.
It had played an important part in the progress over the past decade to ensure students and families who previously saw education as "not for the likes of them", now saw it as a viable route.
Eighty percent of the 650,000 students who receive the maintenance co! me from homes where household income is less than 20,800.
"It has sent out an empowering message of hope that you can dare to dream, whoever you are and wherever you come from," Burnham told MPs.
"In the real world, the debate on tuition fees is already changing views of universities. But for the least well off, the impact only becomes clear when set alongside the abolition of the EMA.
"To those young people it feels like we have a government which is stacking the odds against them. A government that talked about social mobility in its early days and is now launching an all-out attack on the aspirations of those facing the biggest obstacles in life.
"They see a government that is kicking away the ladder of opportunity. The house today has an opportunity to change that and make ministers change course."
Burnham railed against the government's decision to scrap the allowance, despite the Conservatives promising to keep the payments during the general election campaign.
Citing the Oldham East byelection result last week held by Labour, which saw the Tories come a distant third, Burnham said the U-turn could see the parties in coalition lose young voters "for the rest of their lives if they do not change course".
Earlier today, David Cameron defended government plans to scrap the allowance but said he wanted more pupils to stay on at school.
Pressed on the issue at prime minister's questions, Cameron quipped that Labour had promised to fund the allowance "from savings we've made from our success in reducing debt".
He added: "Is it any surprise we're having to look at these spending programmes and work out how we're going to get better value for money to clear up the mess we've been left?"
Burnham told MPs this afternoon that Labour would have considered savings to the scheme as long as the principle of the allowance was maintained.
But the education secretary picked ! up Camer on's baton to tell MPs that the "elephant in the room" was the dire economic situation that Labour had left behind.
Speaking from the dispatch box, the minister told MPs that research by the former Labour government suggested that the current arrangements were "poorly targeted".
Burnham argued that the cost of EMAs would be more than offset by the benefits reaped further down the road from having a skilled workforce.
Citing today's publication of the latest jobless figures, which pushed the youth unemployment rate up to the highest level since records began in 1992, he said: "On the government's own figures, around 78,000 young people are unlikely to be able to stay in further education without EMA.
"We can't be sure that all these young people will end up unemployed, but today's figures showing record youth unemployment it doesn't look good does it for those young people, if they were to lose EMA.
"Wouldn't the government have to provide support for them in some other form perhaps in a less constructive form when they have reduced hope for the future."
Prompted by Caroline Lucas, the Green party MP for Brighton Pavilion, Burnham criticised Gove for "wiping away" initiatives designed to support young people without conducting an equality impact assessment to gauge the "damage" the withdrawal of the allowance might cause and whether it would set back social mobility.
Burnham told MPs the allowance improved attendance and reduced the drop -out rate.
"It stands to reason that young people can do better if they can afford the books and equipment to support their course," said Burnham.
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