TEENAGERS protested outside Kirklees College yesterday against Government plans to axe a grant for the poorest students.
The group joined demonstrators across the country who held a lunchtime rally against the scrapping of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).
The EMA is a weekly grant of up to £30 given to 16 to 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged homes to help them stay in education.
At Kirklees College 2,660 students receive EMA, with 90% receiving the full £30-a-week payment. There are about 22,000 students at the college.
Matt Jagger, from Brighouse, told the Examiner why EMA was so important to his studies.
The 17-year-old said: “I wouldn’t be able to come to college at all if it wasn’t for EMA – I use it for bus travel to and from college and for all my food.
“It’s important that we’re here today because the Government are cutting EMA which is going to stop people getting into further education.
“This is going to make greater the gap between rich and poor.”
Protesters claim that receiving the support is often the decisive factor for poor teenagers in deciding whether to continue their studies.
The action comes just days after tens of thousands of demonstrators descended on Parliament to protest at the Government’s plans to treble university tuition fees.
The coalition Government won the vote on plans to allow English universities to charge up to £9,000 from 2012.
Dave Ellis, the college’s chief Unison steward, said the day of EMA protests had been peaceful – with many people supporting the cause and pledging their support.
He said: “This is part and parcel of the nation-wide protests against cuts in EMA.
“We have no issue with the college and they are concerned about it too.
“The protests are happening throughout the country.
“As far as we are concerned there can be no greater betrayal of any young person.
“Education is a right not a privilege and if people are forced out of education into the job market they are never ever going to be in a position where they can lead a full and meaningful life.
“People should be allowed to go as far as their natural ability and that should be good enough – it shouldn’t be dependent on what area people live or where they were born or how much their parent’s bank balance is.”
Yesterday’s EMA protests were organised by the University and College Union (UCU).
General secretary Sally Hunt said: “The EMA is a vital lifeline for many students in this country and can be the difference between people being able to study at college or being priced out.
“Withdrawing the EMA will hit some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in our society, as well as the colleges that are there to serve them.”
