How the Tories have flip-flopped on education
9:34 am - January 8th 2010
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The Education Maintenance Allowance is a weekly grant given to poor students, worth up to £30 a week, to encourage them to carry on staying in education.
The DirectGov site says:
Basically, EMA is cash in your hands to help you carry on learning. If you’re 16, 17 or 18 and have left, or are about to leave, compulsory education, then it could be for you.
…
There’s no catch. As long as you attend regularly and work hard, there should be no problem in receiving EMA. And if you stay in learning, it could affect what you earn – the latest research shows that learning a new skill and getting a new qualification can actually mean more money in your hands,increasing your annual salary by up to £3,000.
In unveiling their education policy this week, the Conservatives claimed they supported the EMAs. Shadow education secretary Michael Gove told Parliament: He was “absolutely” in their favour.
But the evidence actually shows deep tory confusion and flip-flopping over whether they would support the measure.
The blog Left Foot Forward uncovered these quotes from the Conservative shadow cabinet:
– Chris Grayling, January 2005: “Bribing young people to sign up for courses they may not complete might make ministers’ targets look achievable – but [EMAs] do absolutely nothing to help solve this country’s chronic skills shortage.”
– David Cameron, November 2007: “we think there are some really practical problems and issues with that sort of compulsion”
– Michael Gove, January 2008: [Asked if was in favour of EMAs] Yes, absolutely
– Michael Gove, August 2008: Claimed it was a flop and, according to the Guardian, “said fewer than 400 extra children eligible for free school meals (FSM) had stayed on after finishing GCSEs since 2004, despite the introduction of the EMA at a cost of £924m.”
– David Cameron, January 2009: Says again that “Yes” he supports EMAs.
It seems the Conservatives are yet to settle on a coherent education strategy.
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Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
· Other posts by Sunny Hundal
Story Filed Under: News
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Reader comments
Funny, it seems every bashing item on this site simply looks at Labour’s failings and pastes it onto the Tories. I’m not a great fan of the Tories either.
Life can be a bit more complicated that ‘in favour or against’ you know Sunny. As Gove says in the speech you link to:
there is a difference between recognising that something is desirable and being concerned about the means that are used along the way to achieve that. With deference to the Labour party, I might call it the “Iraq test”. We all recognise the desirability of removing Saddam Hussein, but how something like that is done can be crucial.
As in, ‘it’s a good idea and we support it, but the way it is being done isn’t working’.
Personally, as someone who not that long ago was getting the full £30 per week EMA (as opposed to the £10 or £20 versions), I believe it’s too much. £15-£20 maximum would be enough, the rest could be better spent on other areas of education.
learning a new skill and getting a new qualification can actually mean more money in your hands,increasing your annual salary by up to £3,000.
Excellent. Then make EMA a loan.
I don’t see why the taxpayer should be handing out pocket money to schoolkids. That’s what dads are for.
Oh…… I get it now.
Reactions: Twitter, blogs
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Liberal Conspiracy
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Policy Watch « Bad Conscience
[…] But why just be inconsistent when you can flip-flop? Witness the Conservative Party on the education maintenance allowance (EMA): first they were against it, then they were for it, then Michael Gove said they were a bad idea, but now the Tories support them again? Who knows. […]
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Matthew Ransley
@JessGCCFan this isnt true http://bit.ly/bc7Jag i researched it
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sunny hundal
@greglinehan @hugorifkind cronyism http://t.co/bSDcUMam // ignoring evidence http://t.co/9Gmo214M // flip-flops http://t.co/f8dbZoiu
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