WHEN results of last year’s Primary Leaving and Ordinary Level examinations were released on Monday, Patience Irakoze was far away at her home in the remote Kigembe Sector, Gisagara District.

He knew the results were out and waited with mixed feeling of confidence and fear. He said he believed he would pass the exam but did not expect to be the best candidate in the country.

When the results were released, he waited for the day when marks would be pinned at his school – Petit Seminaire Virgo Fidelis de Karubanda in Huye town.

But a few hours after, his father got a call that almost changed everything he was imagining: he was told his son was the overall O-Level best performing student.

When his father broke the news, Irakoze was both surprised and excited. He jumped with joy.

"I was home relaxing, enjoying my free time when my dad told me of the results. My heart filled with joy,” an ecstatic Irakoze told The New Times.

"I was sure I would pass with good marks but I wasn’t expecting to be the best performer in the whole country. That came as a surprise–a good one,” the 17-year-old boy added, with a smile.

But that’s not something that caught Irakoze with total surprise. His academic records show the student has been a consistent top performer.

He was also the best performing student in his home district in PLE three years ago.

"It took a lot of courage, hard work, zeal, discipline, self motivation and constant prayers to achieve this,” Irakoze said.

"I am very proud to have achieved this. It is an honour for me, my parents and my school. I will continue to work hard to achieve even more.”

"Studying and, of course, studying well is the secret behind the success. Knowing when to study, revising my notes well and also take enough time to relax my mind helped me a lot,” the teenager, who says he likes sports and drawing, notes.

His advises fellow students to  work hard and always have a goal in whatever they do.

Irakoze says he wants to pursue a Physics-Chemistry-Biology combination and later at university pursue a career in human medicine.

"I want to save lives. That’s my passion. I want to become a doctor,” he said.

Irakoze’s father, Jean Damascene Gisimba, told The New Times that he had always had confidence in his son.

"I knew he would make it one day. I have not had a chance to go to school but I have made it a pledge to educate my children. I always tell them that going to school is the best thing they can have in life,” Gisimba said.

Despite facing difficulties in supporting his children throughout their education, the farmer said he sometimes rely on well-wishers to raise school fees.

"But I always tell my children that being poor shouldn’t be an excuse for poor performance,” he said.

Best O-Level female student Semwaga eyes engineering

Natasha Teta Semwaga, the best O-Level female student and third overall, has attributed her success to hard work and encouragement from her parents. Semwaga wants to pursue Mathematics, Physics and Geography in A-Level to set her dream of becoming an engineer on course.

Her mother Jeanne Nyiratamba believes she will maintain the good performance in A-Level because "my daughter is determined.” She also wants to see her only daughter and third born of four children become an engineer.