Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012

ATLANTA (AP) -- The Technical College System of Georgia has received a $50,000 donation to help poor students pay to take the test to get their GEDs.

The donation from AT&T will pay for nearly 800 low-income Georgians to get a $65 voucher for the test. The full price of the exam is $95, but that cost is expected to increase this spring.

To qualify, the student must be enrolled in a state-approved adult education class and score well on practice exams in reading, writing, science, social studies and math.

Experts say 1.2 million adults in Georgia do not have a high school diploma or GED. More than 19,000 residents earned their GED last year through the technical college system's adult education program.

(Copyright 2012, The Associated Press)