July school holidays have officially been shifted as a measure to make up for the time lost in the education syllabus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a government notice, Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga, acting in terms of Section 3(4)( j) and (k) of the National Education Policy Act 1996, (Act No 27 of 1996) said after consultation with the council of education ministers they had opted to amend the 2020 school calendar for public schools in South Africa.

All schooling was suspended in March as government prepared for Covid-19. The Grade 7 and Grade 12 pupils have returned to school this week, despite the Educators’ Union of South Africa going to court in an attempt to halt the reopening of schools.

Most schools are likely to return in July and August.

The updated school term schedule provides for new term dates as well as the updated school holidays.

The four school terms for 2020 are now gazetted as follows:

• Term 1: 15 January – 18 March
• Term 2: 8 June – 7 August
• Term 3: 12 August – 23 September
• Term 4: 5 October – 15 December

Term 2 and Term 3, therefore, will only have a single day’s holiday, as Monday 10 August is a public holiday.

The Citizen