Earlier start date and a whole week 'written off'... Take a look at the 2025 school calendar and the Department of Education's curriculum changes. Picture: iStock
The countdown to a brand-new school year has begun, with less than two weeks left of the care-free holidays. Not only for the kids, but also for parents who will be forced to grin and bear the daily school run, dodging potholes and minibus taxis…
Some of the important changes to the 2025 school calendar and subjects include an earlier start for public schools, three “special holidays”, as well as a coding and robotics curriculum for grades R to 9.
Both inland and coastal schools will start on 15 January 2025 and conclude the year on 10 December 2025.
This signals a two-day earlier start than in 2024, when the school year kicked off on 17 January.
The calendar for public schools features 27 standard school holidays, which is an increase from the 25 holidays in 2024.
Despite this increase, the total number of school holidays is still fewer than in previous years.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has introduced three additional holidays, thanks to the Public Holidays Act of 1994, which mandates that if a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will also be a holiday.
These special holidays will fall on the following dates:
In the same week, Worker’s Day falls on Thursday, 1 May 2025. This has resulted in the department writing off the whole week, resulting in these three special school holidays.
The calendar of the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa’s (Isasa) states that all independent schools will also start on 15 January 2025.
IEB schools in South Africa however generally follow different calendars. While many align with the public school schedule, others adhere to specific association calendars or their own tailored schedules.
The Isasa Central Region Calendar provides a guideline for schools in Gauteng, Free State, North West, and Northern Cape, but its adoption is not mandatory.
In the Government Gazette published on 7 June, the Department of Education gazetted changes to the national policy pertaining to the Programme and Promotion Requirements for grades R to 12, officially adding coding and robotics to the subject roster for grades R to 9.
The gazette officially added the subject to grades R to 9 in the National Curriculum Statement.
According to the DBE, coding and robotics are the department’s core focus of “next-gen” subjects aimed at equipping learners with skills for the 21st century.
The department has been piloting coding and robotics as a subject with a small test group since 2021.
For grades R to 3, the subject is included alongside mathematics, and for grades 4 to 9, the subject is included alongside mathematics, natural sciences and technology.
In terms of approved subjects for the National Qualifications Framework, it is listed under among other STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects such as computer applications technology, mathematics, physical sciences, life sciences, information technology and maths literacy.
The subjects have not been added to the curriculum for grades 10 to 12 as yet.
Following the news of the gazette, the Federation of Governing Bodies for South African Schools (Fedsas) expressed its concern about the successful implementation of the curriculum changes.
Speaking to BusinessTech, Fedsas Deputy CEO, Riaan van der Bergh, flagged three main challenges that need to be addressed for the program to prove successful:
Education non-profit, the National Youth ICT Council, echoed this sentiment, flagging potential issues with the rollout of the curriculum in rural parts of the country especially.
Before last year’s 29 May general election, CEO of edu-tech platform IDEA, Dr Corrin Varady, highlighted the need to empower educators when speaking to The Citizen.
“Government needs to empower educators with digital resources that could help them in their professional journeys and with content mastery.
“This could prove particularly useful in STEM subjects which have been highlighted as critical for the future,” he added.
“The new curriculum will be taught by existing teachers, after they have been trained. The department will ensure schools are equipped to teach coding and robotics as a subject, and that all equipment and computers will be stored safely and securely,” the DBE told Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Basic Education in response to the concerns.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
