The Ministry of Education and Sports has released the official school calendar for 2026 setting a 260-day instructional year for all pre-primary, primary and post-primary institutions.
The calendar, which applies to both government and private schools, was announced by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Kedrace Turyagyenda, and outlines a structured three-term academic year with clearly defined opening and closing dates.
According to the Ministry, the 2026 school year will be conducted in three terms.
Term One will run from 2 February to 1 May 2026, accounting for 89 instructional days.
Term Two will begin on 25 May and end on 21 August 2026, also lasting 89 instructional days, while Term Three will run from 14 September to 4 December 2026, covering 82 instructional days.
The Ministry has also outlined a total of 104 holiday days for the year. The First Term holiday will begin on 2 May 2026 and last 23 days.
The Second Term holiday will run from 22 August to 13 September 2026, also lasting 23 days, while the Third Term holiday will start on 5 December 2026 and extend to 31 January 2027, spanning 58 days.
In addition to classroom learning, the academic calendar provides for Music, Dance and Drama (MDD) activities in secondary schools.
School-based competitions will take place during Term One, while district and regional inter-school competitions are scheduled for Term Two.
The Ministry further released proposed reporting dates for Senior One and Senior Five students.
Senior One placement will be conducted between 29 and 30 January 2026, with reporting scheduled for 16 February 2026.
Senior Five placement will take place from 12 to 13 February 2026, while reporting is set for 23 February 2026.
The Ministry emphasized that teaching and learning must begin promptly at the start of each term, cautioning schools against shortening terms without prior written approval from the Permanent Secretary.
School hours will remain unchanged, with primary and post-primary schools operating from 8:00am to 4:30pm, while pre-primary schools will operate from 8:00am to 12:00pm.
To ease traffic congestion, especially in urban areas, headteachers of boarding schools within the Kampala Metropolitan Area have been advised to stagger reporting and closing dates over two to three days.
Schools have also been directed to coordinate open days, visitation days and annual functions with neighbouring institutions to avoid congestion and to strictly observe safety guidelines governing co-curricular activities.
The Ministry has urged school administrators to sensitize parents and other stakeholders about the 2026 school calendar to ensure its smooth implementation nationwide.
