PRACTICE
ISSUES
How can ABE serve its target population better? The problems and
needs which have surfaced from talking with people during this project confirm
many previous findings and suggestions and affirm many of the recommendations
made in the Provincial Literacy Advisory Committee's Report (1989). The issues
which were highlighted for this writer during the current research project are
as follows:
- Life circumstances of the individuals involved. Many
of the people interviewed had experienced chaotic life circumstances in the
past. Early pregnancies, drugs and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, sickness,
a series of foster homes, school problems, crime and so on. When people are
under emotional, mental and economic stress, going back to school is the last
thing on their minds. They are more likely to be concerned about where the next
meal is coming from, or how they can obtain some new clothes for their
children. They are at the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. One worker
said; It takes a lot of energy to be poor." Another said that many people
"don't even know their welfare rights."
Large segments of the
undereducated population were not tapped in this project -- the over 60
population, people with physical disabilities, people with psychiatric
problems, older ESI, immigrant groups, the incarcerated, to name some groups.
Each of these groups, however, presents special needs and challenges to ABE
practitioners. (See, for example, Illiteracy and Older Canadians, 1989.)
For those who are more representative of the people interviewed,
however, it seems that either, everything in a person's life has to be almost
in place to make it possible to enrol in a program, or (as suggested by another
worker) things "have gotten so bad that perhaps education is seen as the last
gamble to improve the odds, so it's worth the try." The difference in
circumstances and attitudes could partially explain the differences between
persisters and dropouts. Many of the WDs in this project for example, were
people for whom circumstances were not right the first or second time
round.
Agency workers confirmed that people have to "sort out their
lives" before they can become students. They need goals, or at least, need to
be willing to try and define goals for themselves before being referred to an
educational upgrading program.
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