{"id":406989,"date":"2020-06-11T13:25:35","date_gmt":"2020-06-11T11:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=406989"},"modified":"2020-06-11T13:30:21","modified_gmt":"2020-06-11T11:30:21","slug":"here-is-south-africas-updated-school-calendar-for-2020-including-the-new-terms-and-school-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/406989\/here-is-south-africas-updated-school-calendar-for-2020-including-the-new-terms-and-school-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"Here is South Africa’s updated school calendar for 2020 – including the new terms and school holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Department of Basic Education has published a new school calendar for the 2020 academic year.<\/p>\n

South Africa’s school year has been drastically shortened due to the country’s coronavirus lockdown with Grade 7 and 12 students returning to school this week for the first time since the middle of March.<\/p>\n

The rest of the country’s students will only return to school in July and August, the Department of Basic Education has said.<\/p>\n

The updated calendar provides for new term dates as well the updated school holidays, which amount to a total of seven days for the rest of the year.<\/p>\n

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You can read the revised calendar below.<\/p>\n

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Court action<\/strong><\/p>\n

The issue of safety in schools was the subject<\/a> <\/strong>of legal action this week after the Educators\u2019 Union of South Africa (EUSA) made an application to the courts based on concerns that the government has acted recklessly in reopening the country\u2019s schools which could lead to the death of students and educators.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no way that a department that has deliberately overlooked the fact that schools do not have toilets and water after 26 years of democracy can have any good intentions for us,\u201d the union said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce again they are overlooking the fact that many schools in townships and rural areas will not be opening due to structural shortages which they had the obligation, change and money to fix.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe need for tenders and self-enrichment has become their only priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the court found that EUSA\u2019s application contained material flaws which led to the dismissal of the case.<\/p>\n

Trade union Solidarity welcomed the judgement, noting that it was not practical to close all of the country\u2019s schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe approach to closing all schools if an equal level of readiness is not achieved at all schools, is unsustainable and unconstitutional. Governing bodies are the appropriate bodies tasked to take decisions in the best interests of the school and its learners,\u201d said Solidarity\u2019s Melanie Buys.<\/p>\n