Millions of learners across South Africa are back in the classroom today, marking the official start of the 2025 academic year. The school year will run from 15 January to 10 December, encompassing 46 weeks and 199 school days.
Learners can also look forward to seven public holidays throughout the year.
2025 School Calendar
Term |
Duration |
Weeks |
Days |
Public Holidays |
School Days |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Term 1 |
15 Jan – 29 Mar |
11 |
53 (55) |
1 |
51 (53) |
Term 2 |
8 Apr – 27 Jun |
12 |
59 |
5+3 |
49 |
Term 3 |
22 Jul – 3 Oct |
11 |
54 |
1 |
52 |
Term 4 |
13 Oct – 10 Dec |
9 |
43 (45) |
0 |
47 (49) |
Total |
15 Jan – 10 Dec |
43 |
209 (213) |
7+3 |
199 (203) |
Provincial Education Departments Conduct Readiness Inspections
Provincial education departments are diligently monitoring schools nationwide to ensure they are fully prepared to welcome learners and deliver quality education. These inspections focus on assessing crucial aspects such as:
- Infrastructure: Ensuring schools have adequate classrooms, laboratories, and other necessary facilities.
- Safety: Prioritizing the safety and security of all learners and staff.
- Learning Materials: Verifying the availability of textbooks, learning resources, and technology.
- Educator Support: Providing necessary support and professional development for teachers.
The Gauteng Education Department has said:
By engaging directly with school management teams, educators, and learners, the campaign aims to identify challenges requiring the government’s attention; and promote accountability within the education system.
During a recent visit to schools in the Eastern Cape, Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, emphasized the importance of all schools being "systems go." This highlights the department's commitment to ensuring a smooth and successful start to the academic year.
2024 Matric Success
The 2024 matric results were recently announced, revealing an impressive national pass rate of 87.3%. This represents a significant increase of 4.4% compared to the 82.9% achieved by the Class of 2023.
Gwarube, revealed:
At a provincial level, I’m pleased to announce that every province improved on it’s performance from 2023 and every province has achieved above 84% pass rate.
Matric results were made available to candidates on January 14th, both at their respective exam centers and online. The 2024 final matric exams commenced on 21 October and concluded on 28 November. A total of 832,993 public school candidates wrote the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams for 150 subjects.