As the festive season winds down and families conclude holiday travels, reunions and vacations, attention is now firmly shifting to the reopening of schools across the country.
Millions of learners are expected to report back to their classrooms next week for the first term of the 2026 academic year, bringing the long December holiday to an end. The reopening signals the start of a demanding academic cycle for learners in pre-primary, primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools, as well as universities and other tertiary institutions.
According to the official 2026 academic calendar released by the Ministry of Education, most learning institutions will reopen before January 10 following a nearly two-month break. The ministry has set January 5, 2026, as the official opening date for the first term across all primary and secondary schools nationwide.
The first term will run for 13 weeks, with learners expected to engage in uninterrupted learning until April 2, 2026, when schools will close for a short break. After this, students will proceed on a three-week April holiday before resuming studies for the second term on April 27, 2026.
The Ministry of Education has also scheduled a mid-term break during the first term. The half-term holiday will run from February 25 to March 1, 2026, giving learners and teachers a five-day rest period before lessons resume for the remainder of the term.
With schools reopening, parents are racing to complete preparations, including settling fees, purchasing uniforms and learning materials, and organising transport. Education stakeholders say the structured calendar is aimed at ensuring smooth learning progression and improved planning throughout the academic year.