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Policy changes and cuts to adult education programs in the Lower
Mainland, British Columbia: A situation report

June 24, 2014

Compiled and edited by Suzanne Smythe,

Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University
sksmythe@sfu.ca

For more information about programs and policy changes described in this report, please contact:
Ted Hougham, College and Career Access Department, VCC thougham@vcc.ca
Yvon Laberge, Educentre, ylaberge@shaw.ca
Marilyn Smithshoek, Douglas College. smithshoekm@douglascollege.ca
Jan Weiten, Department of Basic Education, Vancouver Community College: jweiten@vcc.ca

Report contributors
Leona Gadsby, Decoda Literacy Solutions
Ted Houghton, College and Career Access Department, VCC
Wendy Henderson, Union Gospel Mission
Lynn Horvat, Vancouver Community College
Yvon Laberge, Educacentre
Rene Merkel, Vancouver Community College
Laura Pasut, Downtown Eastside Education Centre
Linda Rider, First Place, Harbour Light, Vancouver Community College
Marilyn Smithshoek, Douglas College
Mary Thompson-Boyd, VCC Adult Basic Education Department
John Shayler, Vancouver Community College
Suzanne Smythe, Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University
Colleen van Winkel, ESL Outreach Department, VCC

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Policy changes and cuts to adult education programs in the Lower Mainland, British Columbia: A
situation report
On June 6, 2014, representatives from 15 adult learning organizations in the Lower Mainland of BC
met to share information about recent cuts to adult education programs and the consequences of these
for adult learners hoping to upgrade their literacy and language skills for the purposes of work, further
education, high school completion and community integration and participation. Three dominant
themes emerged: The consequences of cuts to GED and ABE for access to training and employment for
adults; the implications of cuts to literacy and ESL in the context of shifting post-secondary institution
mandates; and, the broader policy context and consequences of these changes for adults with the lowest
incomes and lowest levels of literacy and ESL who are most affected by these cuts.
Cuts to GED and ABE: Policies designed to reduce demand
The Ministry of Education announced on May 30 that it will no longer offer the General Education
Diploma test. The GED is recognized as a high school completion certificate, not an Adult Graduation
Diploma necessary for university degree entrance. Up to very recently there were working groups in
the Ministry of Education developing online alternatives to the GED but these were shut down. The last
testing date for the GED is Nov. 2014. The GED has been a very important access program for adults
not oriented to an academic career, and a step into career programs and other education and work
opportunities. The Ministry of Education has argued that the GED is no longer needed because
enrolment numbers are down and there are other opportunities to access Adult Basic Education through
the School District Foundations ABE program.
It is possible that enrolment numbers are down because people receiving income assistance and
employment insurance are no longer able to take the GED while receiving social assistance. Prior to
this ruling there were wait lists for the GED preparation program. However, it is not the experience of
VCC Basic Ed nor of the Union Gospel Mission that the GED is no longer needed or in demand. For
example, at VCC, students are anxious that with the pending cancellation of the GED they will need to
write the tests in November before they are ready, or lose their opportunity to gain a qualification that
still provides access to many employment and further education opportunities. And because of the
cancellation of ESL classes at VCC (discussed below) the upper level ESL students are now hoping to
register in the Adult Basic Education department. Where will students get access to Grade 10 to 12
education that they require for work while also gaining ESL support? This will mark the end of a high
school completion avenue that has worked well for adults for 30 years.
This raises issues of accessibility. A lot of the programs in the community that offered GED
have been cut over the years. The capacity for the communities to support ABE has been reduced. A lot
of ABE has gone to colleges and so now that these programs are being cut, the absence of communitybased ABE is felt even more. Students in NewStart, a trades and education organization, are infuriated.
They know how important the ABE and GED are in their lives. Most of the women have experienced
systemic and institutional violence and abuse and the role of adult education in their lives has been vital
to break their isolation and create new possibilities for them.
The Union Gospel Mission in downtown Vancouver works with men in a recovery program and
people from the Downtown Eastside community who do not have their GED or secondary school
graduation. The goal is to complete the program, find meaningful work and contribute to and find
inclusion in their community. Access to the GED has been vital in creating these pathways; it has
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provided access to BCIT and other college programs and so is a very important incentive to continue
with their learning. The demise of the GED further reduces access to further learning and training.
UGM also offers a safe space for these students, which is integral to their completion and persistence in
the GED program. Often students who come into the GED program have low levels of numeracy and
literacy and don't feel safe in larger institutions such as night schools or teaching universities. What
will happen to people who cant get a job without their GED or high school completion?
The end of the GED poses difficulties for French language learners at Educacentre as well.
Educacentre offers literacy and language programming for adults in French and serves the French
speaking population in Vancouver. With the loss of the GED they will not have the ability to support
their students to achieve their high school completion, and they do not have access to the Foundations
curricula (ABE to Adult Dogwood Graduation Diploma) because it is English only.
Changes in access to ABE courses leading to Adult Graduation
The Vancouver School Board offers the Adult Dogwood Diploma through the BC Ministry of
Education. Students can build literacy skills through the Foundations curricula in order to take Grade
10, 11 and 12 courses. In 2007 graduated adults were able to take a wide variety of courses at all
academic levels including classes such as Social Justice 12, Geography 12, and Business Computer
Applications 11 through VSB (part of the Education Guarantee). This was very popular and enrollment
increased. Even though some adults have a high school graduation locally or from another country,
they benefit from Canadian education experiences and increased academic skills to qualify for jobs and
further training. Two years ago, the BC government changed the rules and limited funding for
graduated adults to Math, English, the Sciences and very basic computer skills. In addition, graduated
adult students must complete 10% of a course before a school gets initial funding for them with the
balance paid when 65% of the course is completed.
Because of limits on which courses graduated adults can take, the variety of courses
available for non-graduated adults completing their Dogwood Diploma is also restricted. This is
because there are limited non-graduated students taking courses beyond math, English and science and
VSB requires 19-20 registered students in a class before it will run. Graduated adults from other
countries helped meet this requirement. With graduated adults unable to access courses such as First
Nations Studies 12, History 12, or Geography 12, VSB adult education programs cannot offer these
subjects in a classroom format to Dogwood Diploma candidates. Students can take these courses on a
self-paced basis but this is not a desirable or feasible learning experience for everyone. When such
courses are scheduled to run, if schools do not reach the minimum enrollment, course cancellations
leave many people without a course to take and this slows their progression to their Dogwood Diploma
and creates distrust in the system. There is a worry amongst staff that soon graduated adults will not be
able to enroll in ABE at all. This will have consequences for their ability to access further education
and work, because they need to upgrade their academic skills. It will also have consequences for nongraduated adults trying to complete their high school because there are fewer courses available.
There are other factors that restrict access to VSB high school classes. Roberts Education
Centre was closed without consultation because the Board designated it as a program, not a school.
Main Street Education Centre has downsized significantly and has been moved to Gladstone High
School to help the VSB balance their budget in the face of new shortfalls. Between the closure, the
move, and the Ministry of Education funding changes, there has been a decline in enrollment, a decline
in the variety of classes students can take, and a decline in access to courses students need to graduate
or upgrade.
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In addition, adults with learning difficulties need particular mentorship and specialized
instruction that is not provided in Adult Education Foundation programs in the school districts. These
adults are encouraged to complete their secondary schooling online which is not reasonable or
achievable for many students. Online learning should supplement and not replace the GED or quality
instruction in ABE.
Cuts to Adult ESL at the lower levels
Another group not well-served in current adult education policy are ESL students who are permanent
residents or citizens in Canada who may have graduated from high school in their countries but need to
upgrade their academic skills to access further education programs. ABE is perhaps not the best place
for them but there is nothing else. There is a desire to fill spaces n both school district and postsecondary adult education programs with ESL students who pay international tuition rates.
With respect to cuts to ESL at VCC announced on May 30, 2014, 60 70% of ESL enrolled
students are university graduates and need language support at higher levels to utilize their training and
education in Canada. Homefront, a VCC program which provides volunteer ESL tutors to
homebound adults, includes people who came as convention refugees and immigrants many years
ago who are still socially isolated and struggling to learn English. LINC (CICs new program) is not
always appropriate for such learners because of its settlement component, however, there are no longer
any literacy/low level ESL classes for citizens or permanent residents with low literacy and formal
education levels. There is a context to this. The Federal government has funded the province to offer
adult ESL for the past 30 years, but it seems the provincial government put some of this money into
general revenue and used some to provide ELSA Levels 1 3 and to subsidize other types of ESL
programming in post-secondary institutions, including four other ESL departments at VCC with a total
enrolment each term of about 2500 students. This is why there has traditionally been less tuition-free
ESL offerings in BC (fewer levels and access) than other provinces. After 2009, more levels were
added to ELSA programming (Canadian Language Benchmarks levels 1 5 and some labour market
training at levels 6 & 7), although registration in other programs remained high. In 2012, the Federal
Government said they would be cancelling the BC Federal Agreement in 2014 and funding LINC
providers directly which is what has happened.
This contributes to an overall gap in learning opportunities for lower level ESL learners. Some
of these students find their way to the ABE program, but it isnt always appropriate because they arent
fluent enough in English for an ABE class. There is an assumption that there are many programs for
lower level ESL students in the community but in reality, lower level ESL students are not being
provided for at all. We are told there is lots of stuff in the community but there isnt actually much at
all in the community that is accessible and affordable.
Cuts to adult literacy at the lower levels
Cuts to ESL courses at the lower levels are matched by cuts to literacy classes for adult English
language speakers who, for a variety of reasons, struggle with reading and writing. At Douglas College,
the first cuts to the lower level daytime literacy classes (levels 1 -3) were made in 2013. Literacy levels
1 and 2 still run in the evening because the iCare program (which has run for 30 years) needs a place to
train volunteer literacy tutors. But iCare is also under threat. There are barriers to participation in
evening classes for many of the students and someone with learning difficulties or little formal

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education (among those represented in the literacy class) cannot be expected to progress very rapidly
with twice a week instruction with a volunteer tutor.
Part of the reason behind the cuts to the literacy courses is that these students arent likely to go
into the college (tuition fee-paying) programs and so are not seen as constituents of the college.
Douglas wants to be seen as a destination degree granting institution. The feeling is that the literacy
students belong in community programs and the College has said that the community is the right place
for the non-credit enrolled students. But educators are not able to find anyone offering regular literacy
classes in the community to whom they can refer their students. Burnaby Adult Education tells us that
most of the students in their Foundations courses are English language learners and people who are
fluent in oral English are under-represented. So where are people able to go? Where are all these
community programs we are told exist? There are some one-to-one tutoring projects but these only
meet one or two hours a week, and many of the students need much more support than that. Indeed, the
one-to-one tutoring programs should compliment, but not replace, literacy instruction classes.
It is important that post-secondary institution administrators understand that not everyone needs
a university degree; there are so many other benefits to learning for adults: helping their children with
homework, applying for jobs, reading a menu in a restaurant, preparing for a trades program or
participating in community activities. Supporting these learning goals were once the mandate of our
colleges, but no longer.
Shifts in the mandates of teaching universities
All this suggests a trend in the teaching universities to become specialized institutions in competition
with other institutions for funding and students. They are moving away from offering ABE/Career
preparation and other Development programs which was once their mandate and played a central role
in creating a fluid and accessible pathway for non-graduated adults to complete their secondary
schooling, gain access to further training and to jobs and other forms of social participation. This
policy to orient PSI mandates to degree programs and international student enrolment is what is putting
ESL, ABE and CDO (Community Development and Outreach) in jeopardy. This is driven by the
Ministry of Advanced Educations capping of Full-Time-Enrollment (FTE) seats in PSIs. It is not seen
as being in the interest of these institutions to offer seats to people who are not paying full tuition (or
international tuition rates) as is the case for non-graduated adults under the Education Guarantee.
Another development that may pose a risk to ABE in post-secondary institutions is the core
review process currently underway. Core reviews have until recently been a public process, but in the
current process, the final core review from colleges and universities will be presented to MAVED with
no public reporting on the findings, nor on the decisions that are made flowing out of these reviews.
This raises questions about the transparency of program cuts flowing from the core review, with
implications for ABE and other diploma programs.
Cuts to literacy organizations at the Federal level
There have also been significant and sudden cuts to federal literacy associations announced May 2014.
COPIAN (formerly NALD) has been cut and the fate of its internationally recognized database of
millions of adult literacy research and curricular resources is unknown. Literacy BC historically
received funding from the provincial and the federal government for coordination of community
literacy programs, research and program coordination. When Decoda Literacy Solutions was formed
out of Literacy BC in 2011 this arrangement continued under OLES. Three years ago, Decoda and
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other provincial and territorial literacy organizations were told this arrangement would stop and that a
pan-Canadian network was to be formed. All the provincial associations submitted proposals to this
network (in five focal areas) but in May 2014 they were all told that no one was getting the funding
(the North have been asked to re-submit their proposals). Any funding at OLES that is available is
linked to Essential Skills in the most strict terms as equated with jobs ready. There is no sense among
Ministry decision-makers at Federal and Provincial levels that ABE or adult literacy contributes to this
goal of job ready. Decodas operations are reduced but they are not closing and the coordination of
community literacy roundtables will continue for now. No provincial literacy organizations are closing
imminently but something would need to change within the year if they are to survive.
Conclusions
It is difficult to advocate or lobby for policy changes when It is not clear what the adult learning policy
is in BC or nationally at present. It seems chaotic. One problem is that education funding and program
responsibilities are split between federal and provincial governments and often across different
ministries. It becomes a political football and ESL, literacy and ABE students and educators are caught
in the middle. Moreover, the field is always asked to demonstrate the value of its work in quantitative
measurement terms. This has always been a challenge because the benefits of learning for adults are
not always evident in short-term measurements. We need to find ways to demonstrate the value of the
work as in the Naming the Magic project carried out in 2007.
In addition, public education is being cut on every angle, at all levels (K 12, adult literacy,
post-secondary institutions) which suggests the need for a broader coalition of education groups to
work together to address cuts to public education in the context of growing economic inequality. One
of the great social and economic levelers is education, yet federal and provincial policies of late seem
to suggest an orientation to short-term employment in resource-extraction rather than education and
employment generation oriented to longer-term economic diversification and innovation. In other
words, are we are moving to a just in time education model where if a welder is needed, a welder is
trained (or brought in from another country), but otherwise people sit on the sidelines of the economy?
Taken together, the recent cuts to adult literacy, ABE and ESL programs described in this report most
deeply affect adults with the lowest levels of education and income. We urge the diverse parties with
responsibility for public education in BC to consider the short and long term consequences of these
policies for income equality and economic and social sustainability, and to begin to coordinate adult
education programs and funding more cohesively and holistically. We have as a society fought very
hard over the years for a strong public education system. Adult education is a central component of any
well functioning public education system oriented to equity, access, employment and innovation and
should be regarded as an investment in our collective future rather than as an expense to be avoided.

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