Taking the GED test in Kentucky will now be free. ‘We are removing that roadblock.’

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday that it will be free for people to take the GED or general education diploma test in Kentucky.

“We are taking action to strengthen and expand educational opportunities for more of our Kentucky families... education is the key to our future,” Beshear said in announcing that he was removing the $120 per test fee. He said the initiative will ensure that “all of our neighbors have real opportunity.”

Beshear said 335,000 Kentuckians over 18 don’t have a GED or high school diploma and can’t participate in the workplace.

“We are removing that roadblock,” he said.

At a news conference, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman said that $600,000 each year will be set aside so more people can take the high school equivalency test. It will help at least 5,000 first-time test takers, officials said.

“If the demand is more, we’ll find the money,” Beshear said.

The tests currently cost $120 each, said Josh Benton, Deputy Secretary for the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.

Coleman, an educator, said adults lacking a GED or high school diploma are twice as likely to be unemployed and three times as likely to live in poverty.

Beshear promised during his gubernatorial campaign to support public education in Kentucky.

“Jacqueline and I have been moving swiftly to move our state forward,” Beshear said Tuesday.

The initiative will be facilitated through Kentucky Skills U, a state program that provides free adult education services in all 120 counties to help people obtain a GED.

Kim Aery, a Jessamine County mother of three who received her GED and now works at a Kentucky Skills U center, said during the news conference that the cost of the test is the first concern for many people she helps.

Brigitte Blom Ramsey, the executive director of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, said the move, among others, was paramount to improving the education of people in the state.

Ramsey said the cost of the GED test “could be a real or perceived barrier for many Kentuckians who wish to not only earn a GED, but to advance in higher education so that they may earn better paying jobs.”

Interim Education Commissioner Kevin Brown said Kentucky Department of Education officials were supportive of waiving the testing fees.

Brown said the opportunity will help thousands of Kentuckians.

“In today’s economy, it is vitally important for all Kentuckians to have at least a high school diploma or GED regardless of their age, income or life circumstances,” he said.

This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 12:45 PM.