1.4. CLARIFICATION OF TERMS USED FREQUENTLY IN REPORT

1.4.1. Under-educated or Functionally Illiterate Adults

In this report the terms "under-educated" and "functionally illiterate" are used interchangeably. The term "under-educated adult" is taken from Professor John Cairns' introduction to Thomas (1983) in which he discusses functional illiteracy in Canada. Cairns uses the term primarily to refer to functionally illiterate adults. In his view, under-educated or functionally illiterate persons are not only those who cannot read or write; but also, those , who lack the ability to effectively utilize the communication system of a given society at a particular time, and to participate fully in the rights, responsibilities and privileges of citizenship. ¹

For this reason, debates about literacy and illiteracy which concentrate on levels of reading and writing are misleading; the real issue is whether people possess the education and skills necessary to participate fully and productively in the life of their society. This is what functionality is about.²

Cairns points out that while grade 8 is normally considered as the level necessary for functional literacy in western societies, "in Canada the attainment of grade 10 has become a pre-requisite for most skilled jobs".³

It should be noted, however, that the choice of "less than grade 9 educational achievement" as an indicator of functional illiteracy is problematic and is more a choice of convenience than of fact. For example, there are many persons who have officially achieved less than grade 9 education but who have unofficially and informally improved their literacy skills to a grade 9 level or higher. On the other hand, there are those persons who have "officially" attained a grade 9 level of education but who, for all practical purposes, are truly functionally illiterate. These persons are not represented in the census data related to educational attainment.

In this report, the term "under-educated" will refer to those persons with less than grade 9 education, mainly because census data are more available on this population than on the adult population with less than grade 10 education.

1.4.2. Adult Basic Education

The definition of ABE employed in the report is taken from Thomas (1983):

Adult Basic Education (ABE) is the generic name used to denote the provision of activities and programs for adults who have not completed elementary or high school education. Necessarily, therefore, it includes basic literacy and functional literacy skills.

By this definition, ABE programs include such learning opportunities as are provided in adult day schools, basic literacy, academic upgrading, right-to-read and life skills programs, and also manpower training programs which are preparatory to occupational skills training such as Basic Training for Skills Development (BTSD) and Basic Job Readiness Training (BJRT).

¹Professor John C. Cairns in the "Introduction" to Audrey Thomas Adult Illiteracy in Canada: A Challenge. Ottawa. Canadian Commission for UNESCO, 1983. p. 3.

²Ibid..p.4.

³Ibid..p.2.

⁴Audrey Thomas. Adult Illiteracy in Canada: A Challenge. Ottawa, Canadian Commission for UNESCO. 1983, p.20.

⁵ Taken from notes prepared by Brian Murphy for the 1984 Think Tank Meeting of the Canadian Movement for Literacy, Vancouver. B.C.