The Department of Basic Education (DBE) on Friday called for “national alignment” in education as it set out proposals to scrap the staggered reopening and closure of inland and coastal provinces with the establishment of a single national calendar for all provinces.

The department’s proposed amendments to the School Calendar Policy aim to modernise existing policy by removing “outdated” provisions and aligning the calendar-planning process with current operational and curriculum-delivery imperatives.

The department said a new section replaces the cluster-based chapter, outlining principles for determining term dates within a unified national framework.

The policy proposes that all schools open in the third week of January to ensure a consistent system-wide curriculum rollout.

“The requirement for the school year to start on a Wednesday is retained; educators must report two days earlier. References linked to staggering and traffic management are removed to strengthen coherence,” it explained.

The department stressed that the school calendar is a core planning instrument for the basic education sector.

“It establishes the annual structure for teaching and learning, stipulates the opening and closing dates of terms, and determines the length of school holidays. The revised policy sharpens this focus by removing unnecessary historical references and ensuring that the policy speaks directly to its technical purpose,” it argued.

The department has invited stakeholders and members of the public to review the proposed amendments and participate in the consultation process.