This book is a welcome addition to the too slowly increasing literature on the history and sociology of education in the Commonwealth Caribbean. Students and administrators will find the book invaluable for an understanding of the problems of planning education in a Caribbean territory. Professor Bacchus' main theme is the massive expansion of education facilities in Guyana, especially at the secondary level, from the mid 1940s to 1974.

One of the common threads which run through the reading and rhetoric on education in the English-speaking Caribbean over the last twelve years is the need to structurally relate the education of the region to its socioeconomic goals. The assumption that education does in fact promote socio-economic development has become highly questionable. This paper is proposing that the translation of perceived national priorities into educational programmes and the implementation of the latter are much more problematic than is usually recognized.