A total of 235,572 students have commenced the secondary school national examinations, designed to evaluate learning outcomes in lower and upper secondary education. These exams guide student selection and orientation from lower to upper secondary education and serve as a basis for awarding advanced-level certificates.
The examinations kicked off on Tuesday, July 23, and are expected to run until August 2. They are being administered across 1,423 selected examination centers nationwide, involving 14,277 invigilators.
According to the National Examinations and School Inspection Authority (NESA), 143,842 O-Level candidates (63,546 males and 80,298 females) from 1,968 schools will sit for exams at 681 centers. Additionally, 56,537 A-Level candidates (23,651 males and 32,886 females) from 857 schools will take the exams across 516 centers.
In the Technical Secondary Schools (TSS), 30,922 candidates (16,842 males and 14,080 females) from 331 schools will be examined across 201 centers. Teacher Training Colleges have 4,068 candidates (1,798 males and 2,270 females) from 16 schools, and Advanced National Professional (ANP) schools have 203 candidates (114 males and 89 females) from seven schools.
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During the official launch of the examination at GS Remera Protestant in Kicukiro District, Gaspard Twagirayezu, the Minister of Education, said that this marks the beginning of written examinations nationwide. He noted that A-Level students had already undertaken practical examinations. He urged candidates to be punctual, well-rested, and thoroughly prepared
Speaking of the uniqueness of this year’s exams Twagirayezu highlighted the first cohort of ANP candidates taking examinations this year, and expressed high expectations for the programme, emphasizing the importance of evaluating its success based on student results.
"We have high expectations for this programme, particularly in the education sector. We will assess its effectiveness based on the students&039; results to determine if it has been well-prepared, and how we can improve it going forward,” he said.
He noted that the ministry has been monitoring the cohort and is optimistic about the programme’s effectiveness based on feedback from practical exams.
Samuel Dusengiyumva, the Mayor of the City of Kigali, addressing the candidates, reminded them that their education continues after the national examinations. He urged them to be vigilant and strive for success, emphasizing their role in building the country and the significance of their studies.
The secondary school national exams follow the conclusion of the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), which took place from July 8 to July 10, with 202,999 candidates, including 91,189 boys and 111,810 girls, participating.