The capital has kept the foothold of best performance in primary school while rural districts excelled in secondary schools, as revealed by the national examination results published Monday by the Ministry of Education.

For primary leaving exams, the top three best-performing districts are Kicukiro, Gasabo and Nyarugenge. The Eastern Province followed closely with Nyagatare and Bugesera districts among the top five.

The narrative changes at the Ordinary Level where four among five best-performing districts are in rural areas. Kayonza leads the list followed by Huye. Other districts are Nyaruguru, Ruhango and Gisagara.

There is no one single theory to explain the phenomenon, said Isaac Munyakazi, State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education.

He, however, noted that it is not the dominance of cities over rural areas, referring to the results of Senior Three students.

District ranking is subject to change by next year’s examination, according to Munyakazi.

"We have requested that districts introduce the education sector in their performance contracts in a bid to improve its quality. That is why next year’s measurement will involve the implementation and contribution of those contracts to the district’s education sector,” said Munyakazi.

Performance per school

Another typical highlight in the results is the dominance of faith-based schools. Eight of the ten best performing schools at Ordinary Level are founded, owned or run by the Roman Catholic Church.

Results of those who sat Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) – formerly Ecoles Normal Primaire – were also released. Rusizi-based TTC Mururu emerged the best performer followed by TTC Save located in Gisagara district.

Top 10 schools at Primary Level

Top 10 schools at Ordinary Level

Top 5 in Teacher Training Colleges