Despite reassurances from the Premier, the Education Department’s Annual Report confirms that Adult Education offerings are being significantly reduced and participation is falling.

The Report indicates that the number of Adult Education enrolments has fallen from 27,575 in 2007-08 to 25,640 in 2008-09, a seven percent decline, and notes that people are doing fewer classes.

The number of classes held have also dropped, which is little wonder when you consider that the number of courses have been slashed, and regional offerings reduced.

This year’s Winter Course Guide, the number of programs offered dropped in the South from 608 courses in 2007 to 539 in 2009, from 300 in 2007 to 224 in 2009 in the North, and the North West program has halved over the past three years.

Clearly, despite his protestations, all the evidence is that Premier Bartlett is blatantly winding back Adult Education in Tasmania. He is deliberately setting up Adult Education to fail.

The number of students enrolled in Adult Education has fallen since David Bartlett became Education Minister and introduced the Community Knowledge Network initiative in 2006.

Not only does the Premier continue to undermine Adult Education, but he has also dropped the ball on adult literacy. It has taken the Government two years to appoint Community Literacy Coordinators. We have all these fantastic literacy volunteers that were working for the Polytechnic who now feel as though their services are no longer required when we know that Tasmania has the worst adult literacy numbers in Australia compared to all other States.

The State Government stands condemned on the basis of its own Annual Report in relation to Adult Education and adult literacy.