5k pupils paid cash allowance

OVER five thousand students in the Western Education and Library Board (WELB) are currently in receipt of Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) - a fortnightly payment of up to £60 available to young people (16-19 years) from low income families who stay on in school or college after GCSE level.

Employment and Learning Minister Danny Kennedy revealed 5,359 pupils are in receipt of EMA in WELB.

The figure relates to the total number of WELB students approved for payment of EMA for the current academic year 2010/11, as at February 24, 2011. The total across Northern Ireland is 24,638.

EMA is a fortnightly payment of up to £60 for students who are aged 16, 17, 18 or 19 years who decide to stay on at school or go to college in Northern Ireland.

It is paid directly to young people from households with an income of £33,950 or less who stay on in education after they reach statutory leaving age (i.e. after the end of their compulsory schooling).