Introduced in 2004, the education maintenance allowance is available to 17, 18 and 19-year-olds who continue studying or training after they leave compulsory education. The students can receive up to £30 a week as an incentive, if their family's income is below £30,000 a year.
The Guardian says the Treasury is keen to make changes to education maintenance support because it would save £2bn, on top of the £1bn to be saved by withdrawing child benefit from all higher-rate taxpayers from 2013.
Asked in the Commons whether education maintenance allowance would remain unchanged, the Education Secretary, Michael Gove, said: "We will be reforming the way in which money is available to those over the age of 16 in order to ensure that we can meet our shared goal of maximising participation."
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