False SA school calendar goes viral – from a known fake news website
A viral article and subsequent post claiming that South Africa's Department of Basic Education has 'revamped' the 2025 school calendar is false. The department has confirmed the post is fake and urged the public to verify information through official government channels.
The fabricated article failed multiple generative AI tests. It claims that new term dates have been introduced, and that 'South African students rejoice' as a result. It uses a stock image, originally posted on the photography website Alamy in 2015, to depict overcrowding in rural classrooms, which has appeared in dozens of legitimate education articles.
Official response: the calendar is unchanged
In a public statement, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) said: 'We have become aware of an online article claiming that the school calendar for 2025 has been changed. This is fake news. The annual school calendar is set in advance and gazetted by the national Minister of Basic Education.'
The DBE confirmed that the school calendars for 2025, 2026 and 2027 are available on its official website at www.education.gov.za.
The official 2025 calendar, published in the Government Gazette, was confirmed in 2023. It outlines the following term dates:
Second viral hoax from the same website
The article is the second fake story from the same website to gain traction this month - again forcing a government department to step in. Earlier this week, News24 debunked the same site's false claim that South Africa was facing '14 hours of daily load shedding".
These articles are also replicated across copycat websites, which follow the same formula to publish unverified content about schooling, grants, and public sector jobs - hoping one will break through into public discourse.
In the context of AI-populated websites, many articles are obviously fake. However, when shared via WhatsApp and social media without obvious giveaways, such as poor spelling or irrelevant images, many users repost them without pausing to verify the facts.
The danger behind the shares
The site's apparent goal is to generate traffic for ad revenue, rather than undermine government operations. But the impact is far-reaching. The Department of Basic Education notes that school calendars are critical planning tools for teachers, learners, and families. Disinformation about term dates disrupts planning, causes confusion, and undermines trust in official communication channels.
Any change to the national school calendar would require a formal notice signed by the minister and published in the Government Gazette. The Department of Basic Education advises the public to verify school calendars and related information via:
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