The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has confirmed that pupils will return to their desks on Monday, 13 October for Term 4.
After a week-long break for the October holidays, it’s back to the grind for the final term of the year.
The good news for learners is that Term 4 is the shortest of the year at just 43 days, and will end on Wednesday, 10 December.
Matric exams
For matriculants, Term 4 signals the end of their school careers with matric exams scheduled to be written in the coming days.
The Department of Basic Education’s October/November National Senior Certificate (NSC) matric examinations will begin on Tuesday, 21 October, and conclude on Thursday, 27 November.
Term dates
The 2025 school year is divided into four terms:
- Term 1: 15 January to 28 March
- Term 2: 8 April to 27 June
- Term 3: 22 July to 3 October
- Term 4: 13 October to 10 December
Prior to 2024, there was a difference in the term dates for inland and coastal schools.
In 2024 that changed to a calendar that was identical for all provinces. This remains the case in 2025.
The 2025 academic year will consist of 200 school days.
Terms 1 and 2 had 52 days, Term 3 will be the longest at 53 days, while Term 4 will be the shortest with just 43 days.
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