official school calendar for the 2025/2026 academic year

New School Calendar 2025/2026: Key Takeaways for Students and Parents

The Ministry of Basic Education and the Ministry of Secondary Education in Cameroon have jointly released the official school calendar for the 2025/2026 academic year. This joint order outlines the structure of the school year, key dates, and important regulations concerning teaching, learning, and evaluations.

Key Dates and Breaks:

The academic year officially begins on Monday, 8 September 2025, and concludes on Friday, 31 July 2026. The year is divided into three terms with two main breaks:

• First Break: From Friday, 19 December 2025, to Monday, 5 January 2026.
• Second Break: From Thursday, 2 April 2026, to Monday, 20 April 2026.

School Schedule and Workload:

The document specifies the weekly and annual workload for students.

• Primary Education: A weekly workload of 30 hours, divided between regular activities and those designed to develop students’ independence and responsibility. The annual workload is set at 720 hours.
• Secondary Education: A weekly workload of 36 hours, including 35 hours of classes and a minimum of 420 hours for assessments and 210 hours for extra-curricular activities. The annual workload is 1,260 hours.
• Nursery and Primary: Classes run from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. daily.
• Secondary: Classes start at 7:30 a.m. and end at 5:30 p.m., with morning sessions ending at 1:00 p.m. and afternoon sessions starting at 1:00 p.m. There are no classes on Saturday mornings.

Evaluation and Exams:

Continuous assessment will be the primary method of evaluation. The end-of-year report card will be a summary of the averages of all subjects, and students’ final grades will be based on the sum of the averages of the three terms, divided by three. Official and competitive examinations will take place from Monday, 11 May to Friday, 31 July 2026, for Basic Education, and from Wednesday, 13 May to Friday, 31 July 2026, for Secondary Education.

Student-Teacher Ratio:

To ensure a conducive learning environment, the maximum number of pupils per class has been set:

• Nursery and Community Preschools: 30 pupils
• Primary Education: 60 pupils
• Secondary Education: 50 pupils

This calendar and its regulations aim to structure a productive and well-organized academic year for all stakeholders in the Cameroonian education system.