In this policy, unless the context indicates otherwise—:

‘cluster’

means a group of provinces that are similar in regard to geographic situation and that conform to the same calendar for purposes of school calendar design;

‘Committee’

means the Heads of Education Departments Committee established by the National Education Policy Act, 1996 (Act No. 27 of 1996);

‘Council’

means the Council of Education Ministers established by the National Education Policy Act, 1996 (Act No. 27 of 1996);

‘Department’

means the Department of Basic Education;

‘Head of Department’

means the head of an education department;

‘Minister’

means the Minister of Basic Education;

‘school calendar’

means the annual plan that determines the total number of school days and holidays in a school year, taking into consideration the dictates of the national calendar, the Public Holidays Act, 1994, and the regulations published in terms of that Act;

‘school day’

means a day on which, for a specific number of hours, learners have to be at school;

‘school governing body’

means a governing body as defined in section 1 of the South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996);

‘school holiday’

means time allowing learners and educators to recuperate and to engage in education-related activities such as conferences, the professional development of educators, arts and culture, sport and national music competitions;

‘school term’

means the basic subunit of time into which the school year is subdivided, and in the four-term system, this amounts to approximately 55 school days;

‘school week’

means a week that consist of five school days;

‘school year’

means an academic year consisting of a specific number of calendar days;

‘staggering’

means the planning technique according to which the school terms in the two clusters start and end on different dates, the difference being at least one school day and at most five school days;

‘stakeholder’

means an organisation or body with a direct and continuing interest in the education institution, programme, phase or sector in question;

‘Subcommittee’

means the Heads of Education Departments Subcommittee on School Calendars.