In one of the latest examples of government failures, the Government admitted yesterday that nearly 111,000 students have yet to have their applications for Education Maintenance Allowance processed. These grants exist to help underprivileged 16 to 18 year old students to stay enrolled in classes and a classic case of government mismanagement is jeopardizing the students' futures. And while international press scurried to cover the growing financial crisis yesterday, the Government slinked away and failed to adequately address the blunder.
Yet again the Government is proving that they cannot handle the implementation of public services and financial assistance programs. Consider the farce at the Rural Payments Agency, and the problems at the Child Support Agency. After blaming the problem on the company providing the grants, excuses seem to prevail, not solutions. Even more reassuring, the Schools minister, Jim Knight, actually called on schools to pay out of pocket while the Government hustled to save their own skins. Perhaps they think this juvenile response of passing the blame will be better received among students...
Failing to pay the grants has a much greater cost than students withdrawing from courses, which in itself is worrying. The growing lack of faith in the Government's ability to provide the services they've promised won't help the outlook people already have in the growing financial crisis. As we move into the next phases of this crisis, and the Government cannot make these payments on time, what does this imply for depositors worried about their banks going out of business? Yet one more worry to add to the burdens of these financially troubled times.