The countdown to the 2026 school year has officially begun, with parents across South Africa already bracing for uniforms, stationery lists, and early-morning alarms.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has confirmed that public schools will reopen on 14 January 2026, setting the clock ticking for families to prepare pupils for a smooth return to classrooms.
A new-look calendar for 2026
Late last year, the department gazetted several changes to the national policy for determining school calendars, which will come into effect this year.
Among the biggest shifts is the scrapping of staggered calendars, meaning all provinces will now start and end the school year at the same time.
The proposed policy states that “schools must open in the third week of January”, ending the long-standing system that saw inland provinces start a week earlier than coastal ones.
