The start of O and A-level national examinations was generally peaceful across the country, yesterday.

Emmanuel Muvunyi, the deputy director in charge of exams at Rwanda Education Board (REB) has said. Atleast 152,192 candidates are sitting the national examinations this year.

"The situation was ok at all centres across the country, with no incidents reported. The turn up was high,” Muvunyi said in a phone interview last evening. Muvunyi, however added that five hospitalized candidates from different districts sat exams in hospital.

The Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) exams, which also begun yesterday were also generally peaceful, according to Theodore Habimana, the director of TVET training at Work Force Development Agency (WDA) save for two sick candidates who sat the TVET examinations in hospital.

While launching the exams at IPRC-Kigali, Minister for Education, Papias Malimba Musafiri urged the candidates to comply with the examination rules and regulations.

"Having done enough preparations for these exams, you don’t have to fear or be worried of anything. I wish you success,” he said.

At least 45,370 girls are sitting O-Level examinations out of 86,376 candidates while 22,288 girls out of 42,687 candidates are sitting A-Level exams in general.

The number of candidates has reduced to 86,376 from 88,111 in 2014 and to 42,686 from 46,236 in O-Level and A-Level respectively.

A total of 23,129 other Senior Six candidates including 10,801 females (46.7 per cent) and 12,328 males (53.3 per cent) are also sitting the exams in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

The TVET candidates have increased by 9 per cent compared to last year’s 21,305.

"It is our target to increase the number of students in TVET and we are gradually achieving this target,” Musafiri said.

Under the second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy, the government targets to have 60 per cent of the students enrollment in technical and vocational education sector by 2018, up from the current 40 per cent.

Meanwhile, Muvunyi, told The New Times, yesterday, that no major malpractices were detected during the Primary Level Examinations (PLE) which were concluded last Thursday, but in some centres exams started late due to rains.

"I urge students to report at examination centres on time and parents should encourage them to do so because we are strict on time. We observed delays due to the rain during PLE and we want the secondary school candidates to avoid delays by arriving at examination centres as early as possible,” he said.

He also encouraged students to work hard and keep revising their notes during the examinations period.

"PLE was done in harmony, just a few sick candidates did exams from hospitals and we are yet to know the number of candidates who missed exams. However, minor malpractices were observed and we shall announce them together with the exams results,” Muvunyi added.

The O-Level candidates started with Mathematics and Kinyarwanda and will end with Biology on 18 November while A-Level practical exams in formal education will start on 19 to 20 November.

TVET candidates will finish exams on November 19, having carried out their practical exams from September 23 to October 2.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw