The Department of Basic Education in South Africa has recently released a proposal to amend the National Policy for Determining School Calendars for Public Schools. The proposed changes aim to address the significant disruptions to schooling caused by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last three years.
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To provide greater flexibility, the proposed amendments would enable the minister of education and the department to determine the opening and closing times of each term. Additionally, the changes aim to reduce disparities between coastal and inland schools by removing the staggered calendar system currently in place.
The proposed changes specifically seek to eliminate references to specific months for school holidays after each term. By doing so, the amendments aim to offer more flexibility in scheduling as well as ease the burden on schools trying to make up for lost time due to disruptions caused by the pandemic.
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Members of the public are encouraged to submit their comments on the proposed changes. The department will take these comments into consideration before finalising the policy amendments.
South African schools operate on a staggered calendar system, which currently sees coastal schools begin the academic year a week later than their inland counterparts. Consequently, coastal schools have shorter holidays after the first term than inland schools, with the remainder of the school year being synchronised.
The Department of Basic Education’s proposed changes to the National Policy for Determining School Calendars for Public Schools do not aim to completely remove the staggered calendar system. The department recognises that doing so could indirectly affect important factors such as parents, learners and other members of the public, tourism and traffic.
While the proposed amendments seek to provide greater flexibility in determining term times, they also aim to maintain a level of balance between coastal and inland schools. By removing references to specific months for school holidays, the amendments hope to offer more scheduling options while avoiding significant disruptions to existing structures that could affect other aspects of South African society.
An amendment already confirmed for 2024, with additional proposals for future calendars, is to align school holidays with public holidays as closely as possible. This will maximise school time and ensure that learners are not missing out on valuable educational opportunities due to unnecessary breaks.
The Department of Basic Education is accepting comments on the proposed changes until 4 June 2023.
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