Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports has released the 2023 School Year Calendar for Pre-Primary, Primary, Secondary, Technical and Farm Schools, as well as Community Polytechnics.
These education institutions run a term system. There are three terms in an academic year: First Term (Term One – I), Second Term (Term Two – II) and Third Term (Term Three – III).
According to the new 2023 academic calendar for Calendar for Pre-Primary, Primary, Secondary, Technical/Farm Schools, and Community Polytechnics, First Term (Term One – I) will begin on Monday, February 06, 2023, and end on Friday, May 05, 2023. This means that the term will run for 89 days, which is nearly three months.
Second Term (Term Two – II) will begin on Monday, May 29, 2023 and end on Friday, August 25, 2023. It will also run for 89 days which is about three months.
Third Term (Term Three – III) will be the shortest, two weeks shorter that the First and Second Terms of the 2023 School Calendar. The term will start on Monday, September 18, 2023, and end on Friday, December 01, 2023. It will run for a total of 75 days.
In total, learners will spend 253 days of the 365 days that make up 2023. They will rest during three term holidays that will run for 104 days. The first term (Term One) holiday will run from May 06, 2023 to May 28, 2023, meaning it will last 23 days.
The second term (Term Two) holiday will begin on August 26, 2023, and end on September 17, 2023, also lasting 23 days. The Third Term (Term Three) holiday will start on December 02, 2023, and end on February 05, 2024, meaning it will run for 65 days.
The start of Term I/One (First Term) for Senior One (S1), Senior Five (S5) and year One (I/First Year) for Technical/Farm Schools and Community Polytechnics will be communicated in due course, the Ministry of Education and Sports said in a statement issued on November 16, 2022.
2023 Academic calendar
First Lady and Education Minister Janet Museveni also directed that teaching and learning should start promptly at the beginning of the school terms, and that these should not be cut short without clearance from her office.
She also issued directives on reporting arrangements.
“All Headteachers of Boarding Schools, especially those in Kampala City, Mukono and Wakiso districts, should ensure that they stagger the starting dates for different classes over the week preceding the official opening and closing dates of the terms,” the Ministry’s statement on the new academic calendar read in part. “This is intended to mitigate the inconveniences of traffic congestion.”
The ministry also guided on school annual functions.
“All school open days and other annual functions should be set by individual schools and institutions during second school term. School and institutions should sensitize parents and other stakeholders about the school Calendar,” Janet Museveni’s Ministry directed.
It should be remembered that days ago, Minister Janet Museveni announced the official date for the early closure of schools over an Ebola outbreak in schools. Ebola has killed eight (08) Ugandan children.
