Here is the revised school calendar for 2020

The official new school calendar for 2020 was released last Friday by the Basic Education department after the country’s school year was drastically shortened due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Schools closed on March 18 and reopened for grades 7 and 12 on June 8.

The rest of the country’s pupils will only return to school in July and August.

The school year has been shortened drastically as well as school holidays.

Pupils get a 4 day break – incorporated with a public holiday – in August.

At the end of September and into early October there will be an 11 day break between the third and fourth terms.

Term 4 will last for 52 school days over 10 weeks.

The 4 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

While the department has said previously that other grades will be phased in, the gazette states that schools are allowed to deviate from the phased-in return of grades on specific dates, providing they comply with minimum requirements and apply to reopen for these other grades to the department head in their province.

The return dates for all other grades are as follows:

Grade 7, 12 – 1 June 2020

Grade 1, 2, 3, 6, 10, 11 – 6 July 2020

Grade 4, 5, 8, 9 – 3 August 2020

Many parents have raised concerns about sending their children to school, most notably relating to social distancing, saying that they are prepared to forfeit the school year rather than to risk the health of their child.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said a parent who chooses not to send a child to school is obliged to apply to the department head and for home education in terms of the South African Schools Act.

The May/June matric examinations have been moved to November.

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