Tentatively, we are expected to celebrate the Chinese New Year (CNY) in 2026 on 17 February, just two days before Muslims welcome the first day of Ramadan.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has released the 2026 academic calendar (page 6) today (28 October), and students will get to enjoy a long period of school holidays in conjunction with CNY.
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MOE has granted three additional holidays, making it a 9-day holiday for students when taking weekends into consideration.
Students to enjoy 9 days off for CNY next year
As of now, CNY is expected to fall on Tuesday and Wednesday (17 and 18 February 2026), and MOE has approved Monday (16 February), Thursday (19 February), and Friday (20 February) as 3 additional days of holiday.
As for the schools in Group A (namely those in Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu), the three additional days of holiday will fall on Sunday (15 February), Monday (16 February) and Thursday (19 February).
The CNY holiday takes place within the first term of the 2026 academic calendar, which will commence on 12 January 2026 and end on 22 May 2026, before the second term starts on 8 June 2026.
Extra holidays for Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Deepavali, too!
According to the academic calendar, students will also enjoy more days off during the Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Deepavali celebrations. Tentatively, Hari Raya Aidilfitri is expected to fall on 21 March 2026 (Saturday) and 22 March 2026 (Sunday).
MOE has approved two additional days of holiday on 19 March 2026 (Thursday) and 20 March 2026 (Friday).
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As for the schools in Group A, there will only be one additional day off on 19 March 2026 (Thursday).
As of now, Deepavali 2026 is expected to fall on 8 November 2026 (Sunday), with a replacement holiday on 9 November 2026 (Monday). MOE has granted one additional day off on 10 November 2026 (Tuesday).
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This shall allow Malaysian families ample time to plan for the holiday season next year. What do you think of MOE’s academic calendar for 2026?
Also read: “Respect cultural diversity” – Klang MP Says Students are Stressed as Exams Overlap with Deepavali
