Consider the different meanings and connotations of the terms "literacy" and "illiteracy." In recent years, many educators and scholars have experienced a growing sense of dissatisfaction with the use of the term "illiteracy" and of the phrase "eradication of illiteracy" as defining terms for the field. It is time to take a critical look at the concept and connotations of the term "illiteracy." It is time to move away from framing policies and practices only on eradicating illiteracy; rather we should orient ourselves toward the problem of literacy. We should devote more attention to the task of developing high quality literacy work and not be content to count successes in reducing "quantities" of illiterates, since this approach oversimplifies the nature and causes of low literacy worldwide.

The terminological change from illiteracy to literacy would signal a conceptual shift, one that opens up a wider range of new approaches to literacy work.

The term "illiteracy" connotes a variety of "deficits" such as:

• complete inability to read and write,
  
• lack of schooling,
  
• lack of knowledge, and
  
• lack of "culture."