PICKENS COUNTY – The number of adults without basic literacy skills has dropped by one fourth in South Carolina, according to a recent national survey.

According to the results, released last week, the number of adult unable to read and understand written information in English has dropped from 20 percent to 15 percent since 1992.

And in Pickens County, the percentage of adults functioning at the lowest two levels of literacy decreased from 17 percent to 13 percent, said Mary Gaston, head of the Adult Learning Center.

This is very good news for those fighting illiteracy.

Everette Curl with the Pickens County Literacy Association said the organization is helping about 30 adults now, and the learning center has helped 583 so far this school year, so the battle is far from over.

State Superintendent Jim Rex also said the improvement was encouraging, but he said South Carolina and the other Southern states still have work to do.

“We have a long way to go if we’re going to overcome the historical effects of poverty in South Carolina and continue to improve our state’s overall quality of life,” he said.

But organizations like the Literacy Association and public adult education programs are making a difference.

David Stout, director of the S.C. Department of Education’s Office of Adult Education said funding for the Young Adult Program for ages 17-21 has helped expand adult ed offerings for those who need a high school diploma, GED or Career Readiness Certificate.

“Adult education is making a difference in Pickens County and South Carolina,” Gaston said. “We’re building a stronger workforce, which benefits us all.”

Currently, between 6,500 and 7,500 adults in South Carolina get these credentials through adult education programs.

Here in Pickens County, the Adult Learning Center awarded 26 diplomas, 66 GEDs and 562 certificates during the 2007-2008 school year, according to Gaston.

For students taking this path, instruction is more individualized since everyone comes into the program at a different level, she said.

“And adults don’t have a lot of time, so we have to make the best of their time here,” Gaston added.

According to Stout, the continued success of the GED program, career readiness initiatives and the outreach program for non-English speakers will drive the agenda for stomping out illiteracy for the next several years.

The public school system’s partnerships with agencies such as Vocational Rehabilitation, the technical college system and the state Department of Corrections are also helping, he said.

And, like the Literacy Association, the Adult Learning Center helps those who cannot read at all or very little.

So far this school year, 73 students at a 4th grade level or lower have attended the learning center, and almost half of those students have progressed to the next level already, Gaston said.

In an effort to continue helping adults learn to read, the Literacy Association hold a book sale fundraiser twice a year, and according to Curl, the next event will take place in early May.

For more information about the Literacy Association or to make a book or monetary donation, call 878-9642.

And to contact the Adult Learning Center, call 855-8198 or visit their Web site at http://alc.pickens.k12.sc.us.