As the 2022 winds down, parents and learners would naturally wish to get South Africa’s 2023 school calendar for both inland and coastal provinces.
It is with this in mind that Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga published the official calendars in a government gazette notice earlier this year.
South Africa’s 2023 school calendar
You can view or download the 2023 school calendar for South Africa’s public schools on the Department of Basic Education’s website.
Alternatively, you can view both the inland and coastal calendars below.
The calendars indicate all the school terms as well as school and public holidays throughout the year.
2023 school terms for inland provinces
Public schools in the inland provinces (Mpumalanga, Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo and North West) will start their school year on 11 January 2023 and end on 13 December 2023.
This translates to 199 actual school days spread across 43 weeks. The 2023 school terms for inland provinces are as follows:
- 11 January – 24 March
- 12 April – 23 June
- 18 July – 29 September
- 10 October – 13 December
2023 school terms for coastal provinces
Public schools in the coastal provinces (Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape and Western Cape) are scheduled start their school year one week later on 18 January 2023. However, they will similarly end on 13 December 2023.
Coastal schools will make up for their delayed start by closing the first term a week later than inland schools. This means their actual school days will similarly be 199, also spread across 43 weeks. Their school terms are as follows:
- 18 January – 31 March
- 12 April – 23 June
- 18 July – 29 September
- 10 October – 13 December
Learners in both inland and coastal clusters will have two special school holidays – one on 20 March 2023 and another one on 28 April 2023.
The first three school terms will have 11 weeks each while the fourth term will be 10 weeks long.
Two days before the first term and two more after the last term are also designated as “days for administration.” They are earmarked for teachers to conduct preliminary work before schools open and to wind up after they close.