Chapter Two
ADULT LITERACY PAST AND PRESENT

Literacy as an economic imperative dominates public discourse on education and adult literacy and "knowledge has replaced other factors of production as the most significant commodity" (Stein, 2001, p. 51). Today's society is characterized by an economic order in which knowledge, not labour or raw material or capital, is considered the key resource and a social order in which inequality based on knowledge is a major challenge. "The majority of new jobs require qualifications the industrial worker does not possess and is poorly equipped to acquire" (Drucker, 1994, p. 4). Others contradict this viewpoint, stating the problem in today's economy is underemployment rather than undereducation (Livingstone, 2003). Growing divisions in the society and the economy pose challenges to individuals, the business sector, and to society at large.

Governments throughout the world have a growing interest in adult literacy. At a time when universal primary education remains a dream rather than a reality in many parts of the world (Mandela & Machel, 2002), the debate is often about how to best allocate scarce resources to ensure both quality education of children and lifelong learning for all. With public commentators and politicians increasingly positioning adult education and literacy in an economic discourse, it is instructive to apply the supply and demand paradigm of the marketplace to a consideration of policy development and outcomes. How well does the supply of learning opportunities meet the demand for them?