More
than a third of a million 16-year-olds are being offered money to stay in
education, in an effort to end the high drop-out rate at that age.
The
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), worth between £10 and £30 a week, will
be available to those from low-income families in England from September.
Students
could also receive bonuses of £100 if they remain on the course and make good
progress. However, those who miss lessons will forfeit their right to a grant.
EMAs
have been piloted across a third of the country since 1999. To qualify for the
allowance, young people must come from households with incomes of less than
£30,000 a year.
The
Government expects 350,000 teenagers to be eligible. Of these, around 70,000
are expected to take up the offer.
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The
UK has one of the highest rates for leaving school at 16 in the developed
world.
