Several activities are being organized by Island communities this week during Adult Learners Week to increase public awareness of adult learning opportunities in PEI.
Education Minister Mildred Dover said one of the single most important adult learning opportunities available to Islanders is the General Educational Development (GED) testing program. The GED is an internationally recognized program which enables people to receive their grade 12 equivalency by passing a series of five tests in reading, writing, math, science and social studies.
During the past five years, 1,653 Islanders received their grade 12 equivalency by passing their GED exams.
Any resident of PEI who is 18 years or older can take the exams for a nominal fee of $20. The tests take about seven hours to write. People may choose to write them over a two-day period or by writing one exam at a time over a longer period.
Courses are offered at Holland College and community learning centres to help people prepare for the exams. Course materials are also available for those self-directed learners who wish to prepare on their own.
Minister Dover said the GED program is a bridge to opportunity for many Islanders who choose to pursue their high school equivalency later in life in order to further their education or get a better job. “The GED program is important to individual Islanders who want to become a better role model for their families, improve their personal satisfaction and standard of living. It is also important to society which now requires a more highly skilled and educated workforce than ever before,” she said. “We encourage people who are thinking about the GED program to call for information on the many ways they can prepare for and take these worthwhile tests.”
The average age of people who pass the GED in PEI is 32 years, which is similar to the national average.
For information on the GED program, contact Luann MacAusland at the Department of Education, 902 368 5988 or lnmacausland@edu.pe.ca.