Double-Shift Schooling: Design and Operation for Cost-Effectiveness

Abstract

Double-shift schooling primarily aims to extend access and minimise unit costs. However, some systems only achieve these goals at the expense of educational quality. Policy makers may be faced by difficult choices when designing systems. Drawing on experiences in a wide range of countries, this book highlights the advantages and problems of double-shift systems. Comparison is made with single-shift systems, and also with systems having triple and even quadruple shifts. The book is intended for (i) national regional policy maker, and (ii) headteachers and others responsible for running double-shift schools. This is the second edition of booklet published in 1989. Thoroughly revised and updated, it retains all the virtues of its predecessor. A few quotations from reviews of the first edition indicate some these virtues: "a most useful introduction to the topic" (School Organisation) "provides a judicious mix of analytical and conceptual arguments with practical down-to-earth suggestions" (Compare) "This is a book that needs to be put in the hands of a many school administrators as possible. By drawing from real experiences it can give them confidence to make bold moves for increasing resource utilization." (Education in Asia and the Pacific) The Author Mark Bray is Director of the Comparative Education Research Centre at the University of Hong Kong. He has taught in secondary schools in Kenya and Nigeria, and at the Universities of Edinburgh, Papua New Guinea and London. He has become widely known for his work on planning and financing of education systems, and has undertaken consultancy work in over 50 countries of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, North America, and the South Pacific.