Teens still wait for grant

HUNDREDS of teenagers in Oldham are still waiting for grants — three months after they were due to be paid.

Official figures show that 270 16 to 19-year-olds have been told they are entitled to an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), but have not yet received even one payment.

And another 1,037 whose applications have been processed are still waiting to find out if they are eligible.

EMA is a means-tested grant of £30 a week to help England’s poorest students stay in education.

But it has been beset by problems this year, with thousands of students facing delays after Government contractor Liberata encountered computer glitches and problems with their telephone helpline.

Liberata was axed by the Learning and Skills Council, which has overall responsibility for the EMA, last month and Capita took over.

Nationally, more than 100,000 students are believed to still be waiting for their grant.

Shadow schools minister Nick Gibb has called for an independent inquiry and said: “Figures show that the number of teenagers who have still not received payments runs into tens of thousands, far more than ministers have previously been willing to admit to.”