Educational Maintenance Allowances

From the UK comes this story about how the British have decided to encourage 16 to 19-year-old students from dropping out of school. They will pay them. Or, more correctly, they'll pay some of them based upon a means test of family income.

The Educational Maintenance Allowances (EMA) scheme will be implemented as follows:

Any student aged from 16 to 19 who lives in a household with a combined income of less than [about $53,000] will be eligible for a means-tested weekly grant - those in a household with less than [about $36,000] income will get the full amount.

Those students who see their courses out will get a "bonus" of up to [about $180]. The payments will go directly imto (sic) students' bank accounts.

The "full amount" will be [about $53] per week, although there is continuing debate on the reasonableness of that figure. Recent successful pilot programs offered more. Interestingly, the success rate improves with increased amounts given out.

Paying students to go to class gets results but it leaves open the possibility of the teachers and students colluding. History provides many examples of teachers accepting bribes. In addition, it would probably be naive not to expect some friction from the practice of paying some students and not others.