Second-Term Midterm Break To Proceed As Scheduled Despite School Unrest
Education Updated: 10 June 2026 16:11 EAT
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba during a press briefing session today
The government has ruled out an early nationwide closure of schools despite a recent wave of unrest reported in learning institutions, maintaining that the second-term midterm break will proceed as scheduled from June 24 to June 28. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba said the education calendar remains in force and most schools across the country continue to operate normally.
“This is to inform the country that all perpetrators who have been found to be involved in such actions will be dealt with firmly and in accordance with the law. As a ministry, we have undertaken preliminary reviews of most of the cases that have occurred. From our analysis and from the reports across the country, less than 2% of the country's senior schools have been affected by this unrest. Meaning that most of our schools—around 98%—remain stable and continue with their normal operations.”
According to the ministry, unrest has so far affected 204 senior schools across the country, with boarding schools accounting for most of the incidents while day schools have largely remained operational. The ministry indicated that 59 of the affected institutions have already resumed studies, with additional schools gradually returning to normal learning activities.
“Most of the schools that are affected are boarding senior schools, with day senior schools largely proceeding with their activities uninterrupted. We have so far received reports of unrest affecting 204 senior schools across the country, and of those 204, 59 have since returned to schools and resumed their studies, with more continuing to return. Learners in Grade 1 to 9 in our institutions are proceeding with their studies with no interruption reported. Therefore, our basic education system is running smoothly except for the disruption in the boarding senior schools.”
The ministry praised learners, teachers, school administrators and parents for sustaining learning despite the disruptions and appealed for continued cooperation to preserve stability in schools across the country.
“We take this early opportunity to commend the majority of our learners in schools across the country for remaining disciplined and committed to their studies. We also commend the heads of these institutions, the teachers, and the parents for guiding their learners and ensuring stability and continuity in school operations. We call upon them to keep up the good work to ensure that these institutions are not affected like the others.”
Government assessments identified several possible triggers behind the unrest, including institutional leadership challenges, learner anxiety, examination pressure, poor boarding conditions, substance abuse, demanding routines, peer influence and copycat incidents.
“The unrest appears to be driven by a variety of factors including leadership challenges in institutions, learner anxiety and examination-related stress, poor school conditions especially in boarding sections, alcohol and drug abuse, strenuous school routines, peer influence, and copycat behavior with learners demanding to be released early from school for various reasons.”
Ogamba directed school heads to act promptly in resolving emerging concerns and emphasized that learner safety remains both a legal and moral obligation. He said government agencies, parents and education stakeholders must work collectively to strengthen the education environment.
“Heads of institutions are reminded that it is their statutory and moral responsibility and duty to ensure that any challenges in their institutions are addressed in good time and that the safety and security of our learners are guaranteed. The government is keen on addressing the matter of unrest in our schools effectively and comprehensively.”
As part of immediate interventions, the ministry announced the formation of a multi-stakeholder team to review the causes of unrest and propose long-term recommendations. Schools have also been instructed to strengthen guidance and counselling systems, improve grievance-handling mechanisms and convene parents’ association meetings to address learner welfare concerns.
“Following due consultations within the government and other stakeholders, we wish therefore to announce the following measures going forward to establish and address underlying causes of this perennial challenge of student unrest. We shall be forming a multi-stakeholder team to review the causes of unrest and make recommendations on strategies for stemming this challenge.”
The Cabinet Secretary further confirmed that the June midterm break will remain unchanged and encouraged parents and guardians to use the period to engage learners and provide support while concerns are handled through proper channels.
“The midterm break for the second term of the 2026 school year will take place as scheduled from the 24th of June 2026 to the 28th of June 2026. Parents and guardians are urged to use the break to spend time with their children and provide guidance and support for them. Any grievances or concerns should be articulated appropriately and shared with schools and other relevant authorities for action.”
Responding to concerns over students being sent home before the official break, Ogamba clarified that there had been no government directive authorizing blanket closures. He said school heads had only exercised discretion in isolated cases after assessing risks and seeking to prevent escalation.
“No, it hasn’t. We've had institutions where learners have requested that they be released for one reason or another, and the heads of institutions have taken the decision in their own assessment to release these students so that they avoid a situation where there'll be destruction of property or loss of lives. But the directive we are giving is that do not use what is happening as an opportunity to send students home where there is no situation.”
The ministry also defended its decision to establish another review process, arguing that unrest has multiple causes and requires targeted interventions rather than reactive measures. Infrastructure concerns, welfare conditions and institutional practices are expected to form part of the review.
“Your second question is, as I indicated, there are a variety of reasons why this unrest has happened and has been happening, and what we want to do is set up a multi-sectoral team to review the whole spectrum to find out what really needs to be done once and for all to resolve these issues.”
Looking ahead, the government announced plans to rebalance the school calendar beginning next academic year, with consideration being given to equalizing term lengths to reduce learner fatigue and support sustained academic performance.
“You see, First Term is 12 weeks, Second Term is 14 weeks, and the Third Term is, I think, 9 weeks. So we are now going to rationalize that and probably have 12 weeks across the board. We are working on that, but from the next academic year, the terms will be rationalized as part of the reforms that we are doing to ensure that our students do not get exhausted when they are in school.”
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FELIX MAKONA
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