Mayor Lutfur Rahman launches new ground-breaking scheme to help Tower Hamlets youngsters into university Tower Hamlets is the first council in the country to launch a higher education grant programme of this scale Hundreds of young people in Tower Hamlets will be given grants to help them with the cost of university, as part of an innovative scheme being launched this week by the Mayor of Tower Hamlets. The launch follows recent national praise for Tower Hamlets from Education Minister, Michael Gove and former Education Minister, Baroness Estelle Morris. Under the Mayor’s Higher Education Award, 400 students will receive payments totalling £1,500 each. The Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said: “I am delighted that we are the first local education authority in the country to be supporting our students in such an innovative way. We know that our young people are our future and need our support to realise their potential. Achieving a better education is better for the student, better for the student’s family and better for the borough. This is why we are committing a total of £1.26 million to this scheme – it is an investment in the future of our borough.” The awards scheme is being launched to help: make higher education a more realistic prospect for young people from poorer families in the borough; reduce the number of local students who drop out of university before completing their courses; and encourage more school and college leavers from Tower Hamlets to attend university. At present, it is believed only one other council distributes education grants, benefitting seven students each year – so Tower Hamlets’ 400 grants is an unprecedented move by a local authority in the UK. Councillor Oliur Rahman, Cabinet member for children, schools and families said: “Introduction of tuition fees have meant the cost of university is simply too daunting for many students in Tower Hamlets. This new scheme is aimed at helping more of our young people realise their full potential. For local teenagers who thought university was a pipe dream, I hope this initiative will change their minds.” The Mayor’s Higher Education Award is being launched as a result of the success of the Mayor’s Education Award – a scheme, now in its third year, launched following the coalition government’s abolition of education maintenance allowance, in which school leavers are given grants to help them stay in education. The new Award will be officially launched on July 1 and will help those students who start higher education courses in September 2013. Ends Notes to Editors: 1. To be eligible for funding through the Mayor’s Higher Education Award, students will need to meet certain criteria and will have to apply through the council’s benefits department. 2. Full details, including the opening date for applications, will be announced shortly and available at towerhamlets.gov.uk/
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 08:52:18 +0000
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