Decades ago, it was the common perception that when a child turned sixteen - that was when they finished school and went and got a job and started to contribute to family finances. This was specially true of children from low income families.
Times have changed. That piece of paper with a " Higher School Certificate " label on it is now essential to enter most professions. Without it - you can forget nursing, becoming a school teacher - or entering university for further avenues of study and qualification.
What most low income families dreaded was that sixteenth birthday - because that was the start of the government withdrawing a tax benefit that for many meant the difference of making ends meet - or sinking further below the poverty line.
In poor families there was no question of the son or daughter remaining at school. They could not afford the loss of income from the withdrawal of a tax benefit, and so it became a matter of getting a job or getting a job search subsidy as a replacement.
In this bright new year that has changed. Families with a son or daughter aged sixteen to nineteen are eligible for a payment of $ 4200 a year - provided that they remain at school.
It helps alleviate the burden of teenager costs in low income families, and at the same time increases the opportunity for their children to achieve the education standards that are the passport to a better life.
It is a step in the right direction, establishing a more level playing field in the combative area of job opportunities.
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