Student funding wrangle resolved

Nov 27 2008 by Brian Daniel, The Journal

A STUDENT who feared cash shortages would force her to quit college will have her grant paid after The Journal stepped in.

We reported on Monday how Victoria Docherty, 16, of Cramlington, Northumberland, has not received any weekly Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) payments since starting a course in September, despite applying in July.

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC), which is in charge of EMA payments, declined to comment directly on Miss Docherty’s case, but admitted 200,000 students across the country were in the same position at one stage.

The teenager has since been told her application has been processed and she will get her cash tomorrow.

The LSC said contractor Liberata, which administers the scheme, encountered technical difficulties in processing applications.

As a result, learners suffered weeks of delays in receiving payments, which the LSC acknowledged was unacceptable.

At one stage the backlog of applications nationwide was in excess of 200,000.

This figure has now been reduced to below 12,000 and remaining applications are expected to be cleared within the next few weeks.

The LSC has terminated its contract with Liberata and appointed a new company to handle the scheme.

Last night, Miss Docherty’s mother Anita, 49, of Elgin Close, was scathing of the fact such a backlog had been allowed to develop.

She said: “They must have seen it coming, they could have prepared themselves.”

“They are still going to the bank and getting their wages and money. It is the young people at college who are doing without.

“I think it is disgusting. I feel sorry for the parents because they are helping their children, which any parent would.

“It was frustrating for me and my daughter. It was causing stress, we were arguing.

“My heart goes out to the parents of teenagers who are wanting their money.”

Mrs Docherty added: “The news of payment will put a big smile on my daughter’s face.”

She believes the delay in their payments was caused not by the backlog but by her application being lost, and then her being passed “from pillar to post” when trying to find out what had happened to it. Mark Haysom, chief executive of the LSC, said all possible steps had been taken to overcome the delays.

He added: “We have said through- out that it is unacceptable for young people to have their EMA payments delayed.

“We would like to reassure learners that payments will continue and, that during the transfer period, outstanding applications will continue to be processed.

“Although the transfer will not immediately fix all of the helpline and processing problems, it will help us to improve the future service for young people, colleges and learning providers.”