Key messages
- Primary level: Students in public primary Double Shift Schools (DSS) score poorly on the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) compared to students in public primary Single Shift Schools (SSS).
- Primary level: The negative impact is stronger for girls, students in grade 1 and those in the Greater Banjul area which comprises the capital, Banjul and the Kanifing Municipality. For instance, the impact on girls could be up to threefold higher than on boys.
- Primary level: Converting public DSS to SSS can slightly improve students’ foundational literacy skills, but the increase is very small—less than one extra correct letter on basic reading tasks.
- High school level: Private high school students in DSS are at most 7% less likely to pass both English and Mathematics in the WASSCE than those in SSS.
- High school level: The negative impact is stronger for performance in English and for students in the capital, Banjul and the Kanifing Municipality region 1.
- High school level: Converting private DSS to SSS could increase national pass rates in English and Mathematics for private high schools from 24% to 31% or by up to 30%.
Key messages as published in the author’s policy brief.