One document
suggests that
facilitators
should "beg,
borrow or
steal"
whatever
resources
they can.

The government's cavalier attitude toward facilitators does not stop there. At the end of the first year of the program, the government hosted a lavish dinner for benefactors who had made financial contributions to Literacy NB. When asked why the facilitators, whose contribution in the form of foregone income is proportionally at least as great as that of the benefactors, were not invited, the answer was that the facilitators are not the government's responsibility!

Physical Facilities and Resources
One policy document issued by the DAEL suggests that managing committees and facilitators should "beg, borrow or steal" whatever resources they can (3). In most CASPs, equipment is borrowed and of poor quality; chairs are uncomfortable, tables are unsteady. Some CASPs operate in community facilities which have other uses in the evenings and on weekends, so all equipment must be stored at the end of the day and brought out again each morning. In many CASPs, the heat is unreliable. One CASP ran out of funds to purchase wood for the stove and had to shut down until wood could be obtained. Students in another CASP had to work in winter jackets, boots and gloves to stay warm. Because the facilities are rarely designed for educational purposes, the lighting is inadequate. In many facilities, the noise level far exceeds levels appropriate for studying.

The DAEL provides each CASP with one copy of the curriculum materials it has developed for use in basic and intermediate academic upgrading. These materials are in the form of individual self-paced, self-directed learning modules, each designed to address one or two selected objectives in the overall program. CASPs are expected to follow these curriculum objectives.

At the basic level, the facilitator is free to use any material she considers appropriate. However, at the intermediate level, all examinations are geared to the curriculum materials so the facilitators and students feel obliged to follow these materials. The curriculum modules are provided as unbound pages of text and are considered complete in themselves. No additional, supportive resources such as textbooks are recommended, and therefore, none are provided by the local community college.

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Each CASP facilitator must photocopy the curriculum materials for each student and provide pens, pencils, paper for assignments, and a loose leaf binder to store the materials. In the best situations, the literacy coordinator has been able to borrow resources from the community college's supplies or a college administrator has been able to purchase necessary resources by adding a few items to an order for regular academic upgrading programs. But in many CASPs, the facilitator is reduced to begging for materials or photocopying services from private businesses, government organizations or not-for-profit agencies. One facilitator told us: "I really have to believe in what I'm doing because there's not much to build up your confidence [when] you do so much scrounging and almost sort of apologizing, trying to convince people that is it worthwhile to help you." This woman had provided equipment and materials for her students by using her own financial resources.



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