LITERACY B.C.

Fall 1998 Bulletin

AGM Celebrates a Year of Achievements

Literacy B.C. board, staff, members and special guests marked what President Paul Gallagher called "a year of celebration and achievements" at our 8th annual general meeting in Vancouver on October 30.

There were many successes to celebrate. Kate Nesbitt and Kelly Sinclair were recognized for overcoming barriers to improving their literacy skills. Kate was presented with the 1998 Co-operators Learner Achievement Award and Kelly was recognized as this year's B.C. winner of the Canada Post Flight for Freedom Individual Literacy Achievement Award. Literacy B.C. was also acknowledged as the provincial winner of the Flight for Freedom Literacy Leadership Award.

Special guest Andrew Petter, Minister of Advanced Education, Training and Technology, delivered the keynote speech and later mingled with board members and guests at a reception.

(I to r) Kate Nesbitt, Andrew Peffer,
Paul Gallagher and Kelly Sinclair at our AGE

The Minister referred to his government's move on July 1 to remove tuition fees for ABE programs in all post-secondary institutions. He said adults around the province have told him they couldn't be in ABE programs without this initiative.

"The message we're hearing back is that participation rates are up" he said. "B.C. now has the most comprehensive and affordable ABE system in the country."

Minister Petter said that, "B.C. is starting to gain recognition as an education province. In part because of the work of organizations like yours, we're a province that recognizes the importance, the centrality, of education." He mentioned the Youth Community Action Program, which allows students to gain credits toward future tuition.

The Minister reminded the audience of how much has changed in education in the last 100 years. "Yesterday's frills have become basic today. A post-secondary education -- including technical and other kinds of training -- is now as basic as a high school education was a century ago."