‘In a double-shift system, school cater for two entirely separate groups of pupils during a school day.

The
first group of pupils usually attends school from early-morning until mid-day, and the second group
usually attends from mid-day to late afternoon. Each group uses same buildings, equipment, and other
facilities. In some systems, the two groups are taught by the same teachers, but in other systems, they
are taught by different teachers.’ (Bray, 2008 cited by IIEP-UNESCO Learning Portal, n.d.).

There are different models of double-shift schooling depending on the context:

‘End-on’ shifts: this is the most common double-shift system, based on the principle that one group is in
class in the morning, and another group replace it in the afternoon.

Overlapping shifts: groups arrive and leave at different time during the day but can be at school at the
same time.

Variation of school week length: when double-shift schooling is implemented in a school, students can
study on Saturdays. They have almost the same number of hours in class as children in single shift
schooling.

Shared teachers: depending on the shortage of teachers they can teach either only one shift, or both
during the day.

Shared level of education: some double-shift systems gather several levels in both shifts (in the case of
end-on systems).

Day and boarding schools: in schools with boarding facilities, shifts can be organized in a more flexible
way, since some students do not have to go back home at the end of the day.

Urban and rural system: double-shift schooling is more common in urban areas; yet, it can also be
organized in rural schools when there is a shortage of teachers for instance.

Daily, weekly, and monthly rotation: shifts can be organized in different time frames, but this is quite
uncommon.

Classes for children and adults: children go to school during daytime and adults take classes in the
evening.

Borrowed and rented premises: in private and community schools, community members can use the
school space in order to organize ‘informal’ classrooms for students.

Despite the few references found on the subject, Bray’s publication and its review from Orkodashvili
stress some strategies which policy-makers can follow in order to implement double-shift schooling.
Bray (2008) describes diverse factors which can justify the implementation of double-shift schooling:

To increase the supply of school places while avoiding serious strain on the budget.

To broaden access and hence achieve social equity.

To use scarce human resources better: where there is a shortage of teachers, staff may be encouraged
to teach in more than one session.

To increase salaries of teachers by giving them opportunity to work in two sessions.

To reduce opportunity costs for pupils by catering for those who have to work during the day.

To reduce overcrowding class size and alleviate pressure on sports facilities, libraries, school canteens,
etc. (Bray, 2000: 12).

Although double-shift allows more children to access school, it has been criticized as findings regarding
educational achievement for children in double-shift schools are not consistent and –in some countries–
they have been affected due to shortened instruction time (UNESCO Education for All Global Monitoring
Report, 2010). Yet, in multiple contexts and due to the lack of resources, such policy might be necessary
temporarily to ensure education for all. In such scenarios the efficacy of the policy will rely on an
efficient management and implementation of the system (Bray, 2008).

Resources:

Bray, M. 2008. Double Shift Schooling: Design and operation for cost-effectiveness. 3rd Edition. Paris:
IIEP – UNESCO. Retrieved from: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0016/001636/163606e.pdf

IIEP-UNESCO Learning Portal. n.d. Double-shift System. Accessed 16 June 2021:

https://learningportal.iiep.unesco.org/fr/node/5339

Orkodashvili, M. 2009. Double – shift schooling and EFA goals: assessing economic, educational and
social impacts. Nashville: Vanderbilt University. Retrieved from:
https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/23519/1/Double_shift_schooling_and_EFA_Goals_assessing_econo
mic_educational_and_social_impacts_pdf

UNESCO Education for All Global Monitoring Report. 2010. Reaching the marginalized. Paris: UNESCO.
Retrieved from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000186525
Double-shift schools are a way to extend access to education and minimize costs, but they can also have
negative effects on educational quality and create conflicts over space usage 1 2 3. The double-shift
system involves having one group of students attend classes in the morning and another group attend in
the afternoon, allowing for more efficient use of resources. However, this can result in a crunched
school day, lower quality education, and a feeling of detachment from the school 1. Policymakers and
educators face difficult choices in designing and running double-shift schools, as they must balance the
goals of access and cost efficiency with maintaining educational quality 2 3. Designers can play a role in
creating better and more responsive spaces for double-shift schools to address issues of alienation and
improve the overall educational experience 1.

https://typeset.io/questions/double-shifting-of-classes-4xojus39fd

Challenges on double shift classes

Double shifting, a common practice in many developing countries, addresses the lack of classrooms by
maximizing existing resources. However, this system poses challenges such as limited contact time,
difficulty in classroom management, and lower quality of education. While double-shift schools
efficiently manage resources like buildings and playgrounds, they can induce feelings of detachment and
lack of belonging among students due to the crunched school day and conflicts over space usage. To
mitigate these issues, innovative approaches like setting up "double-teacher" communities and
implementing smart classroom designs have been proposed to enhance teaching quality and student
learning experiences. Governments are urged to support double-shift schools, provide teacher training,
and gradually phase out double-shifting by constructing more schools.

https://typeset.io/questions/double-shifting-lack-of-classrooms-1t4ymadf19

6.1. Double-Shift Sessioning Challenges

6.1.1. Contact Time

100% of the interviewed teachers indicated that contact time was a major challenge with double-shift
sessioning in Gweru Urban Schools. Teachers highlighted that they could not cover all the curriculum
subjects with the given time. Both the morning sessions and the afternoon sessions had limited time in
the classroom. One teacher had the following sentiments; “ I find it difficult to attend to all the subjects
of the curriculum as such I tend to concentrate on subjects that are examined at Grade Seven level. I do
not pay attention to subjects like music and physical education.” Furthermore, the interviewed teachers
revealed that some of the subjects were hurriedly taught and some pupils failed to grasp the concepts.
In agreement, Bray (2000:47) said, the school day is more pressurised; everybody seems to be in a hurry.
Cardenns in Sagyndkova (2013) concurred and said that on the average, afternoon shift schools have
lower levels of quality, higher levels of failure and dropout rates in comparison to morning shift schools
sharing the same facilities.The teachers also revealed that it would be easier to help those pupils who
fail to understand concepts during remedial period, but remediation also suffered due to lack of contact
time. One teacher revealed that, “Due to lack of teaching time, I have to resort to unorthodox make shift
teaching methods”. It also emerged from the study that the pupils end up seeking lost time through
extra lessons which strain the parents economically.”Parents lamented of spending their hard earned
cash on extra-lessons.” (Kurebwa & Mushoriwa, 2014).It further emerged from the study that co-
curricular activities were for pupils in the morning session only because they were conducted in the
afternoon. This tended to disadvantage all the groups of pupils who attended afternoon lessons. Co–
curricular activities aim to develop an all round student (Ingale, 2014).

6.1.2. Classroom Management

Teachers revealed that it was difficult to maintain order in shared classrooms. This was echoed by 84%
of the participants. Teachers felt that classroom management is affected because of the feeling that the
room belongs to someone else, hence a lack of belonging. Teachers also revealed that sometimes they
lose their belongings in these shared classrooms. It was also observed that furniture in these shared
classrooms was worn out. To this end Bush (2003:138) echoed that, “In double-shift schools, there is
“fluid participation” in the management of a school. There is a problem of accountability as each teacher
would leave the responsibility of maintaining the class to the other teacher.It was also revealed that
teachers cannot leave work on the chalk board overnight for use the following day.

6.1.3. Pupil Performance

Most teachers (90%) agreed that pupils’ performance was affected by double-shift sessioning. They
highlighted that both the teachers and pupils become tired during the afternoon. Due to high
temperatures, some pupils found it difficult to concentrate resulting in minimal teaching and learning.
84% of the participants revealed that concentration span of pupils was low in the afternoons. (Bray,
2000) noted that time was the major cause of low pass rates and that breaks and lessons are cut to
accommodate the time factor.

6.1.4. Other Factors

The study further revealed that there was wastage of time during change over. 90% of the teachers
indicated that there was wastage of time during the change over sessions. Teachers also revealed that
curriculum subjects were not adequately dealt with during teaching and learning. The teachers also
attributed high failure rate in schools to double-shift sessioning. Truancy was another challenge which
this study revealed. Interviewed teachers indicated that truancy was rampant in children who attended
afternoon lessons. The teachers indicated that some pupils who come to school in the afternoon engage
in truancy .Truancy was attributed to the lack of child supervision by parents who would have gone to
work during the morning.

Teachers Voices: Challenges of Double-Shift Sessioning in Gweru Urban Primary Schools

Dr. Mercy Kurebwa

Senior Lecturer, Department of Educational Studies

Zimbabwe Open University, Zimbabwe

Abigirl Lumbe

Administration Officer, Midlands Region, Zimbabwe Open University, Zimbabwe

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?
hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=challenges+in+double+shift+classes&oq=challenges+in+double-
shift+#d=gs_qabs&t=1719386765252&u=%23p%3D5KEdyLiAHtsJ

Strategies in double-shift classes

Teaching strategies in double-shift classes involve innovative approaches like the TPACK framework for
online learning 1, promoting a shift from traditional teaching methods to more interactive and engaging
practices 2. Additionally, strategies aim to actively involve night shift students in the learning process,
addressing challenges faced in this unique educational setting 3. Furthermore, the implementation of a
"double-teacher" community with a structured teaching design framework guided by deep learning
theory has shown positive results in cultivating deep learning abilities among normal students 4 5. These
strategies emphasize the importance of leveraging technology, promoting student engagement, and
fostering a collaborative learning environment to enhance the effectiveness of teaching in double-shift
classes.

https://typeset.io/search?q=Teaching%20strategies%20in%20double-shift%20classes

Teachers experience on double-shift classes

PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE — THE Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) rejected the double-shifting scheme
being implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd) to address classroom shortages in Metro
Manila.

Benjo Basas, TDC president, warned that mandatory implementation of double-shifting scheme on use
of classrooms would only result in shorter class hours to the prejudice of the students.

He said this would also mean lesser teachers’ hours devoted to students.
Basas made the statement in reaction to DepEd directive reminding all public schools across the country
to strictly comply with the double-shifting policy even as the education department continues to
augment classrooms and repair damaged school buildings in typhoon-affected areas.

The TDC said instead of mandatory implementation of double-shifting system, the DepEd should
properly address the problem of classroom shortage nationwide.

Basas said in Caloocan City alone, the use of classroom is not limited in double-shift system but has
reached a four- shifting scheme just to accommodate a bigger number of students.

Earlier, in DepEd Order No. 58 s. 2008, Undersecretary Ramon Bacani reminded school officials after
disclosing that the department has received reports that only a very few percentage of schools were
complying with the double- shifting policy despite having been promulgated four years ago.

“As a consequence of non-compliance, many schools request for the construction of additional school
buildings since classroom shortages are computed on the basis of a single shift use of classrooms,’’ said
Bacani.

Bacani directed schools requesting for additional classrooms to support their plea with a certification
that they are already operating on a double-shift basis.

“If double shift is not feasible, this should be properly explained. Moreover, the computation of
classroom shortages at the national, regional, division and school levels should be based on the double-
shift policy,’’ he stressed.

The order also said that double shifting of classes should be resorted to as a means of resuming regular
classes as early as possible in areas where school buildings have been damaged.

Bacani enjoined all field offices and schools to submit a report of compliance with the double- shift
policy through their respective divisions and regional offices not later than July 31, 2008.

Teachers reject double shifting Posted on August 2, 2008

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fj6IiOAld9Vl8udwtWc9HaiyDQITVTaW9unegv57wE_aem_94Nist0s_yN_E92idz3Akw