Of the 280,456 candidates who sat Primary Leaving Exams 227,273 candidates, accounting to 81 per cent passed while in Ordinary Level it was 99,120 out of 114,424 (87 per cent) who passed.

The pass rate in Ordinary Level rose from 83 per cent recorded last year. The number of candidates, however, decreased by over 6,000.

This year, unlike in 2018 where boys outperformed girls, female candidates stood out.

Candidates were categorised into five divisions where the fourth division had the bulk of the candidates with 28 per cent in primary and 47 per cent in O’ level. The first division that indicates the best performers has the lowest percentages, 3.8 in primary and 9.1 in secondary.  

Candidates whose results were released are the second cohort to be examined under the competence-based-curriculum that was introduced in 2016.

Fastest result-checking procedure

For the first time, candidates will be able to get results and their respective schools online right after the release of results. This is different from previous years where they had to pick letters from their former schools.

Checking results can be done from the board’s website www.reb.rw or through short messages by typing p6 + index number + academic year for primary ( eg; p610276856372019). For O’ level, they type s3 + candidate’s index number (eg; s3010108735OLC876543) and send to 4891.

The reply includes aggregates by subject and the total, which school the candidate was oriented to, its requirements and contacts.  

During the official release, the Minister of Education Eugene Mutimura thanked and rewarded the best performers both in primary and secondary school with laptops.

During the announcement, he also announced the best performing schools and districts in the country to encourage implementation of education policies on the district level.

Initially, before the release of results, 2020 academic year was set to start on January 6. However, one more week was added due to complaints by parents that seven days are not enough for school preparations. Schools will now reopen on January 13.

2020 academic year is set to run for 38 weeks that end in early November.