Province is Celebrating Literacy Day

Tomorrow, January 27, is Family Literacy Day. The Honourable Joan Burke, Minister of Education, took the opportunity today to confirm governments' commitment to literacy programming and to help those who wish to improve their literacy skills.

"We should be proud of our students' overall achievement in our K-12 system and acknowledge our many successes," said Minister Burke. "Our students are hard-working and motivated. Our province has an 89 per cent high school graduation rate and on recent international assessments, students achieved above the international average in mathematics, reading and science. Literacy and numeracy are the foundations for all learning, and we will continue to build a complete curriculum that provides a solid base for future success.�

Government is also keenly aware of the need to promote and support literacy among adults. �To that end, adult literacy alone saw an infusion of more than $6 million. This included nearly half a million dollars for literacy grants for community-based organizations, and additional funding for College of the North Atlantic. The college received $1.2 million to increase Adult Basic Education (ABE) Level I programming, and $650,000 for the expansion of the Comprehensive Arts and Science College Transition Program. These unprecedented investments have one purpose � to improve the teaching and learning experience at all levels to ensure personal achievement and the overall success of our province," Minister Burke noted.

In celebration of Family Literacy Day, Minister Burke will be at the L.S. Eddy
Complex in Stephenville to partake in planned events, which include a story time, family read-in and crafts. The event runs from 10:30 a.m., until noon. The public are invited to attend.

Family Literacy Day is sponsored by ABE Canada and has been recognized every January 27 since 1999. Renowned Canadian author Robert Munsch is honorary chair. More information on Family Literacy Day can be found at //www.abc-canada.org/fld/.

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Media contact:
Jacquelyn Howard
Director of Communications
Department of Education
709-729-0048, 689-2624
jacquelynhoward@gov.nl.ca

2007 01 26                                               2:05 p.m.