Pupils in South Africa are currently on holiday with the third term having wrapped up on Friday, 20 September.
The third term comprised 53 schools days, making it the longest of the year.
It won’t be a long holiday, however, with schools reopening for the fourth and final term on Tuesday, 1 October.
The final term of the year will comprise 52 days and end on Wednesday, 11 December.
Motorists may well see a reduced number of cars on the roads, but not for long.
Same calendar throughout South Africa
As reported by The South African website, in a change from previous years, all public schools – both inland and at the coast – will follow the same term calendar in 2024.
There is no longer a difference between inland and coastal schools breaking up and returning to school as was previously the case.
To note: Inland provinces are the Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West, while the coastal provinces are the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape and Western Cape.
The Department of Basic Education’s 2024 school calendar shows that this year will comprise of 203 school days across four terms, which is four more days than was the case in 2023.
Dates for the 2024 school terms
- Term 1: 17 January to 20 March (46 days)
- Term 2: 3 April to 14 June (52 days)
- Term 3: 9 July to 20 September (53 days)
- Term 4: 1 October to 11 December (52 days)
Meanwhile, South Africa will have 14 public holidays in 2024 – which includes an additional day off to celebrate one public holiday which falls on a Sunday.
As mentioned, some will fall during school holidays, others will be welcome mid-week breaks for learners.
In a typical year, South Africa has 12 public holidays, which is roughly the average when compared to other countries.
The global average for public holidays is 11 days.
Workers in most European countries enjoy 10-14 public holidays a year. The United Kingdom, however, has only eight.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Myanmar has 30 public holidays, while Sri Lanka, Iran, India and China have 29, 27, 21 and 17, respectively.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN 2024
Monday, 1 January: New Year’s Day – Passed
Thursday, 21 March: Human Rights Day – Passed
Friday, 29 March: Good Friday – Passed
Monday, 1 April: Family Day – Passed
Saturday, 27 April: Freedom Day – Passed
Wednesday, 1 May: Workers’ Day – Passed
Wednesday, 29 May: Voting Day – Passed
Sunday, 16 June: Youth Day – Passed
Monday, 17 June: Public holiday Youth Day observed – Passed
Friday, 9 August: National Women’s Day – Passed
Tuesday, 24 September: Heritage Day – Passed
Monday, 16 December: Day of Reconciliation
Wednesday, 25 December: Christmas Day
Thursday, 26 December: Day of Goodwill
