Funding

Public education in Nova Scotia is fully funded by provincial and municipal revenues and is determined on an annual basis through a consensus process by the Education Funding Review Work Group, in consultation with the regional school boards. Regional school boards are given revenues from the Department of Education according to a general funding formula based on enrollment and supplemented by a percentage of municipal taxes, transportation operating and capital grants, special education grants, textbook and technology grants and equity grants to school boards facing extraordinary circum- stances.

The principles employed in determining education financing are:

1. Equity: the quality and availability of core programs in each community should be equivalent; children with different needs should be afforded different approaches to programming and service delivery; provincial taxpayers should share the burden of education financing on an equitable basis.
2. Adequacy: funding should reflect the real costs of meeting the priorities and requirements of the province and the Dept. of Education.
3. Responsiveness: financing of education should be dynamic in order to accommodate changing priorities; it should also meet need for long term planning.
4. Accountability: education funding should require accountability at all levels, with measurable goals and expectations, a clear definition of authority and responsibility, and the assurance of efficiency, effectiveness and quality in the delivery of service.⁷

Adult Education

The Nova Scotia Department of Education offers the Adult Learning and Innovation Program for adult literacy education. The purpose of the program is to prepare adults for the General Education Development (GED) test. It focuses on writing skills, social studies, science, mathematics, literature and the arts. Upon successful completion of the program, adults receive a Nova Scotia Grade 12 Equivalency Diploma

There are eight GED offices across the province, and test locations include: Amherst, Antigonish, Bridgewater, Digby, Dartmouth, Eskasoni, Guysborough, Halifax, Kentville, Liverpool, Louisdale, Margaree, Middleton, New Glasgow, Port Hawkesbury, Shelburne, Sheet Harbour, Sydney, Truro, Windsor and Yarmouth.

A number of volunteer community groups provide one-on-one tutoring for adult learners. For a full listing of GED Offices and adult education support groups in Nova Scotia see "Literacy" in Appendix A: New Learning Resources.

Other adult education programs include Public School Program credit courses for academic upgrading, vocational and technical upgrading, and instruction in English or French as a second language.