Angelina Matsie Motshekga, Minister of Basic Education, acting in terms of section 3(4)(k) of the
National Education Policy Act, 1996, (Act No. 27 of 1996), and after consultation with the Council of
Education Ministers, publish the 2023 School Calendar for public schools in South Africa as
detailed in the accompanying schedule. 2024 school terms available HERE
2023 SCHOOL CALENDAR FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
| Term | Duration | Number of days |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | (09) 11 Jan – 24 Mar | 53(55) |
| 2 | 12 Apr – 23 Jun | 53 |
| 3 | 18 Jul – 29 Sept | 54 |
| 4 | 10 Oct – 13 (15) Dec | 47 (49) |
Plan around the 2023 school terms and public holidays.
Public and School Holidays 2023
1 January: New Year’s Day
2 January: Public holiday
20 March: Special school holiday
21 March: Human Rights Day
7 April: Good Friday
10 April: Family Day
27 April: Freedom Day
28 April: Special school holiday
1 May: Workers’ Day
16 June: Youth Day
9 August: National Women’s Day
24 September: Heritage Day
25 September: Public holiday
16 December: Day of Reconciliation
25 December: Christmas Day
26 December: Day of Goodwill
2019 School terms. The Department of Basic Education has published the school calendar for 2019.
| Term | Duration | Number of weeks | Number of days | Number of public holidays | Actual number of school days |
| 1 | (07) 09 Jan – 15 March | 10 | 48 (50) | 0 | 48 (50) |
| 2 | 02 Apr – 14 Jun | 11 | 54 | 3 + 0 | 51 |
| 3 | 9 Jul – 20 Sep | 11 | 54 | 1 +0 | 53 |
| 4 | 01 Oct – 4 (6) Dec | 10 | 47 (49) | 0 | 47 (49) |
| Total | 42 | 203 (207) | 4 + 0 | 199 (203) |
– Dates and days in brackets ( ) are applicable to educators
2019 School Terms
Under Section 3(4)(k) of the National Education Policy Act, 1996, the Minister of Basic Education co-ordinates the dates of school terms among provinces and then releases the official dates to the public.
NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY ACT NO. 27 OF 1996
[DATE OF COMMENCEMENT: 24 APRIL, 1996]
This Act has been updated to Government Gazette 34620 dated 19 September, 2011.
as amended by
Education Laws Amendment Act, No. 100 of 1997
Education Laws Amendment Act, No. 48 of 1999
Education Laws Amendment Act, No. 31 of 2007
Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, No. 15 of 2011
Public Holidays 2019
01 January New Year’s Day
21 March Human Rights Day
19 April Good Friday
22 April Family Day
27 April Freedom Day
01 May Workers’ Day
16 June Youth Day
17 June Public Holiday
09 August National Women’s Day
24 September Heritage Day
16 December Day of Reconciliation
25 December Christmas Day
26 December Day of Goodwill
* The dates on which Good Friday and Easter Sunday fall are determined according to the ecclesiastical moon. That varies each year but they fall at some point between late March and late April.
**The Public Holidays Act (Act No 36 of 1994 [PDF]) determines whenever any public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday following on it shall be a public holiday.
There are 4 terms in a school year, with a holiday in between terms. Each term holiday in South Africa usually spans between 1 to 5 weeks. All the 9 provinces in South Africa – Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumlanga, North West, Northern Cape and Western Cape – share the same school calendars.
Source: National Education Policy Act: 2019 school calendar for public schools [PDF]