在臺灣，不識字的問題並未廣泛地受到重視。成人識字教育通常被視為提供給老人的教育機會，以「補償」他們在1940年代因國家政治、經濟動盪所致的失學遺憾。這種觀點混淆了識字率和入學率，並且隱含一種靜態的識字觀。本文呼應聯合國識字十年：全民識字的願景，並且強調識字不僅止於閱讀與書寫；識字是關於我們如何在社會上溝通，關乎知識、語言和文化。尤其，識字的學習是個終身學習的歷程，並且當今社會變動劇烈。成人識字教育必須面對來自國內族群衝突與國際社會的競爭。在此脈絡下，本文首先描述臺灣四、五十年來的識字教育政策與措施，包括國語運動、國民補習教育、成人基本教育研習班和全民學外語等。其次，就批判性的角度分析其背後的理論基礎和所隱含的深層的議題。最後，指出在臺灣識字同時是個解放的利器與壓迫的工具。雖然國語運動有其正面的貢獻，然而其所根據的國家主義卻危害到國內不同族群的團結，同時造成文化的真空與認同的失根。在此關鍵時刻，臺灣的成人識字教育尤其需要重新更張其願景和操作過程的模式與機制。

It is not widely recognized that Taiwan has the issue of illiteracy. Adult literacy education is often considered as an opportunity for older adults, who were unable to attend school education caused by the political and economic fluctuations that occurred in during 1940s, to "catch up". This view confuses the school entrance rate with the literacy rate and implies a static view of literacy. This paper echoes the vision of the United Nations Literacy Decade: Literacy for All, and addresses the idea that literacy is about more than reading and writing; it is about how we communicate in society; it is about knowledge, language and culture. Particularly, literacy learning is a process of lifelong learning and the society is changing dramatically. Adult literacy education has to face the challenges both from the domestic ethnic conflicts and the international competition. In this context, it first describes the language and adult literacy education policies and initiatives, including Mandarin Campaign, Fundamental Supplementary Education Program, Adult Basic Education Program and Foreign Language for All, that have been made so far since 1940's, and then analyzes the rationale beyond and the deeper issues, critically. It concludes that literacy is simultaneously both a potential liberator and a potential weapon of oppression in Taiwan. Even though the contribution of Mandarin Campaign is evidential, the underlying nationalism in turn has harmed the cohesion of different ethnic groups and created both a cultural vacuum and rootless identity. At this critical point in history, Taiwan's adult literacy, especially, requires renewed visions and modalities of operations procedures and mechanisms.