Government releases 2026 school calendar with clear term dates
The calendar, daated 24 November 2025 and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Kedrace R. Turyagyenda, provides a structured academic programme aimed at ensuring uniformity, adequate learning time and effective planning for schools, parents and education administrators.
The Ministry of Education and Sports has officially released the Schools and Other Institutions Calendar for 2026, setting out exact opening and closing dates for primary, secondary, technical, vocational and other education institutions across the country.
The calendar, daated 24 November 2025 and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Kedrace R. Turyagyenda, provides a structured academic programme aimed at ensuring uniformity, adequate learning time and effective planning for schools, parents and education administrators.
Primary and Secondary Schools
According to the Ministry, the 2026 academic year for primary and secondary schools will run for 260 days across three terms.
- Term I:
Opens on Monday, 2 February 2026 and closes on Friday, 1 May 2026 (89 days)
- Term II:
Opens on Monday, 25 May 2026 and closes on Friday, 21 August 2026 (89 days)
- Term III:
Opens on Monday, 14 September 2026 and closes on Friday, 4 December 2026 (82 days)
School Holidays
The Ministry outlined the official holiday periods as follows:
- First Term Holiday: 2 May to 24 May 2026 (23 days)
- Second Term Holiday: 22 August to 13 September 2026 (23 days)
- Third Term Holiday: 5 December 2026 to 31 January 2027 (58 days)
Start of Term for Senior One and Senior Five
Placement and reporting for new secondary school entrants will take place early in the year:
- Senior One placement: 29–30 January 2026
- Senior One reporting: 16 February 2026
- Senior Five placement: 12–13 February 2026
- Senior Five reporting: 23 February 2026
The Ministry directed that teaching and learning must begin promptly at the start of each term and warned that no school is permitted to cut short a term or extend holidays without written permission from the Permanent Secretary.
Technical, Vocational and Skills Institutions
The calendar for Skills Development Centres, Technical Institutes and Community Polytechnics mirrors the primary and secondary school structure:
- Term I: 2 February – 1 May 2026
- Term II: 25 May – 21 August 2026
- Term III: 14 September – 4 December 2026
Industrial training for these institutions will run from 8 December 2026 to 31 January 2027.
Health Training and Teachers’ Training Institutions
Health training institutions will operate on a semester system, with the first semester beginning on 2 February 2026 and ending on 27 June 2026, followed by a second semester from 20 July to 12 December 2026.
Teachers’ Training Colleges will align their college and school practice schedules with the primary school calendar, the Ministry noted.
Compliance and Enforcement
The Ministry stressed that the calendar must be complied with by all government and private institutions, warning that non-adherence will attract disciplinary action against heads of schools and institutions.
“All adjustments to this calendar can only be made by the Ministry through an official circular,” the directive states.
The release of the 2026 school calendar is expected to guide national planning for learning, examinations, co-curricular activities and staffing across Uganda’s education sector.
