12/18/96

CONTACT: Marie Barone, 614/593-4951

ATHENS, Ohio -- Starting Jan. 18, area residents who didn't graduate from high school will have the opportunity to watch TV and bone up on information necessary to pass the general equivalency diploma exam (GED).

The "GED On TV" program, a 43-part tutorial series on videotape, will begin airing 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Saturdays and at 3 p.m. Mondays on WOUB-TV, according to Mercedes Sabio, project director. Students may sign up for the program and have the option to purchase workbooks by calling 1-800-228-READ, according to Marie Barone, program coordinator for Ohio University Public Television.

"This will allow people to study and work on their own at home," said Barone. "The program covers all the information on the GED exam."

The Ohio Literacy Network will register prospective students. Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) personnel and Ohio University's Regional Resource Center in McCracken Hall will provide homework help through a toll-free telephone number and also will provide assistance with registration for the GED test when the students are ready.

The "GED On TV" program was produced and aired on the Kentucky Network, Kentucky's public television network, and has been used in 14 other states. The WOUB-TV program is funded by a one-year grant from the university's Office of Regional Higher Education.

"We hope to use the GED on TV' program to encourage more residents of Southeast Ohio to complete their diplomas and to continue on in higher education," said Stephen Flaherty, associate vice president of regional higher education. "We know that GED completers attend college at a higher rate than high school graduates. This program is an investment in the future."