Minister announces literacy funding

Acting Education Minister Beaton Tulk announced today the approval of over $212,000 for literacy projects/programs from the Literacy Development Council�s grant allocation.

Sixteen proposals from community-based organizations were approved, with awards ranging from $600 to $45,000. The list of approved projects follows.

"I am especially pleased that today�s announcement of over $212,000 in awards, when added to the other partner contributions in these proposals, will generate a total of approximately one-half million dollars towards literacy initiatives throughout the province," said Minister Tulk.

"The grassroots organizations and community groups who received funding, such as Teachers on Wheels, Laubach Literacy of Canada, the Community Association of Virginia Park and the Humber Literacy Council, will be implementing projects that will help to address a wide range of literacy issues in the province. Many of the projects will focus on early literacy, a priority of the province�s Strategic Literacy Plan," added the minister.

The province has made significant gains in literacy in recent years:

• Between 1978 and 1998, the percentage of the province�s population with high school graduation or above increased by 52 per cent compared to a 23 per cent increase for the rest of the country.

• Over the same time period, the percentage of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians with less than a Grade 9 education decreased by 51 per cent.

• Recent data for the segment of the province�s population aged 15-24 show that 3.7 per cent of this group has less than a Grade 9 education compared to 4.9 per cent for the comparable Canadian segment.

"We have made significant gains in literacy in this province in recent years," said Dr. William Fagan, chair of the Literacy Development Council. "It is important that government, the Literacy Development Council and literacy stakeholders continue to work together to reach our goal of raising the literacy levels of our province to be among the highest in the country. I wish all 16 organizations every success with their projects."

Additional proposals have been forwarded by the committee to the National Literacy Secretariat for consideration. Proposals which are successful in securing NLS funding will be announced by the Minister of Human Resources Development Canada or her designate once approved. The next deadline for grant submissions is October 18, 2000.

Media contact: Andrea Maunder, Communications, (709) 729-0048.

2000 10 03 10:30 a.m.