“I’m pleased to see Islanders whose education has been interrupted for one reason or another showing such commitment to getting their Grade 12 equivalency,” says Minister Campbell. “Government is working to ensure that all Islanders have access to educational opportunities that will help them achieve a better quality of life and find well-paying jobs.”

The 417 adult learners who wrote the test this fiscal year is an almost 24 per cent increase from the estimated 350 people who wrote the test during the fiscal year 2008-09, and the 324 people who wrote during the fiscal year 2007-08.

Prince Edward Island has the highest percentage of adult learners writing and passing the GED test in North America.

GED is an international testing program that offers a high school equivalency diploma to adults who did not complete high school. Over one million people take GED tests annually, and the test covers core curriculum areas of writing, reading, science, social studies and mathematics.

Government has put a special emphasis on promoting GED programs to Islanders, having great success with a GED marketing campaign in some Island coffee shops. This campaign will be expanded to include ads that will appear in the near future in the province’s cinemas.

On April 26, the Abegweit First Nation Band held a graduation ceremony to celebrate the students who had taken the GED preparation program offered in Scotchfort. This is the second year that the program has been offered through a partnership between Government, the Abegweit First Nation Band, the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI, Computers for Communities, Workplace Learning PEI and Holland College.

“A successful future for the citizens of Abegweit First Nation living on and off-reserve will be more easily attained by placing a high value on education and skills training development,” says Brian Francis, Chief of the Abegweit First Nation Band. “The individuals who have completed this training over the last few years are role models for others to follow and I wish them well in their pursuit of finding success.”

For information on the GED program, call (902) 368-4650.