South African Schools Break – Reports state that the Basic Education Department is considering a review of the school calendar for the year 2025. This makes possible the longer closure for South African schools in August. No final decision has been made on the issue, however, discussions have already started to generate interest and concern among parents, learners, and educators. From sources familiar with the situation, what is being proposed is essentially an extension of a week to the regular August break, possibly due to the need to make some changes to the academic year or to set itself up for certain events. If this becomes a fait accompli, this will convert the regular mid-term week-long break to a much longer holiday well into late August.


Causes For The Extension Consideration
The Department having not officially released any revised calendar, the educationalists mention several possible reasons behind the move, with one possible reason being to redress the imbalance in how school days are distributed throughout the year, especially with several public holidays interrupting the earlier terms. School Unions long plead for proper timeoffs so as to create educator wellness and way off midyear burnout. A good long August holiday would also facilitate school better with upcoming national assessments slated for September.
Parents are divided about Proposal to Have Longer Holidays
Other families are embracing a longer break as they are hoping for a little thinking space between two busy schedules. But others are of the opinion that this will interrupt the learning process. “We lost time already with smaller first terms. Now a longer break might cause us to run through the syllabus” said a concerned Gauteng parent. Parents who are working are equally concerned about childcare and cost impacts during an extended period of closed schools. Many having schools as a regular daily structure to their lives, longer breaks are sure to generate logistical challenges and added costs.
What To Expect Next
By mid-August, The Department of Basic Education should finally issue a formal statement on the status of the extension. If awarded with the extension, its new calendar will be issued to all schools to enable scheduling of term by schools accordingly. As it is, students and parents ought to be adequately informed by keeping up with current developments via the proper education department avenues or via individual schools’ newsletters. As such, changes need to be properly coordinated in advance to ensure smooth continuity of students’ academic progress irrespective of changes to the calendar.