Thirty-nine students have finished the GED program at West Georgia Technical College in Waco, making it the largest class to graduate from the program so far. A graduation ceremony was recently held in their honor, making for a memorable celebration as it was held during Adult Education and Family Literacy Week.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution that recognizes Oct. 18 as the start of Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, which pays tribute to adult education and family literacy programs for their impact on the education of adult learners and their families.

Many were on hand to recognize the effort local adults have put into their education, as WGTC President Skip Sullivan introduced the commencement speaker of the graduation ceremony: Ron Jackson, who serves as commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia. He encouraged the graduates to follow their dreams, further their education and also praised them for making such a noteworthy accomplishment.

Betty Candler, executive director of the Haralson County LAMP program, which supports adult education initiatives at WGTC and local grade schools, says the literacy observance helps promote the importance of the milestone nearly 40 graduates achieved in a time of troubling economic setbacks, which has forced a demand for more competitive skills and education in the workforce.

“We saw a substantial increase in enrollment (in the WGTC GED program) this year due to the economic situation. There have been times when we’ve seen about 40 people in day classes, so there’s been a substantial increase (compared to previous years) due to loss of industry here,” she explained.

Describing the adult illiteracy rate in Haralson County, she noted the adult illiteracy rate as a “big issue,” according to the U.S. Census studies that are collected every 10 years.

Though she is hopeful about seeing progress on the next study that will be unveiled next year, she said the most recent report from 2000 shows the adult illiteracy rate in Haralson County at 37 percent, which counts adults over 25-years-old without a high school diploma or GED. Candler added the most troubling part of that number is that it does not include 16- to 24-year-olds who have dropped out of school, without earning a diploma or GED. Therefore, Candler explained that such details call for citizens to be diligent about responding to census information, which affects the amount of funding local adult education programs receive.

“It doesn’t include the 16- to 24-year-olds, so that’s why it’s very critical for citizens to fill out census data, because of the amount of federal funding we get to support adult education programs. Census numbers are very important to support our grant requests,” she said.

WGTC currently offers various programs for non-readers on up, according to Candler. She also noted incentives including a $500 HOPE voucher that’s available for qualified students who enroll in certain programs.

As for recent graduates from the GED program, she encourages them to advance their education by getting a college education or a marketable trade.

For more information about adult education resources in Haralson County, call 770-537-6059 or 770-537-6062.