School calendar: When do the June-July holidays kick off?

Pupils in South Africa are currently in the second term and will no doubt be counting down the days until their June-July holidays.

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.

203 SCHOOL DAYS IN 2024

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.

The second term will end on Friday, 14 June.

Learners will enjoy just over a three-week break before returning to their desks on Tuesday, 9 July.

Pupils will on course have Wednesday, 29 May off from school due to the Voting day public holiday.

The third term will run from 9 July to 20 September and will comprise 53 days – making it the longest term of the year.

DATES FOR THE 2024 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)

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

Sunday, 16 June: Youth Day

Monday, 17 June: Public holiday Youth Day observed

Friday, 9 August: National Women’s Day

Tuesday, 24 September: Heritage Day

Monday, 16 December: Day of Reconciliation

Wednesday, 25 December: Christmas Day

Thursday, 26 December: Day of Goodwill