EDUCATION - Eighty-five thousand five hundred and sixty-seven students are expected to sit this year’s Advanced and Ordinary Level national examinations which start today.

According to John Rutayisire, the Executive Secretary of the Rwanda National Examination Council (RNEC), said that 48,188 students are sitting Senior Three exams while 37,379 are Senior Six candidates.

He said the number of Ordinary level candidates increased from last year’s 44,868.

Advanced level ‘candidates also rose 34,503 last year.

Rutayisire added that the number of private candidates is 8000 for both levels.

He attributed the increase of candidates to easy access to education, free education in primary schools and some ‘O’ level day schools.

Rutayisire said the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) has provided assistance in delivering examinations to all centres countrywide and that police is offering security at district headquarters.

"We had no problems with preparations of setting and preventing examinations from leakages.

This year, we had an improvement on time, the setting and transportation was done on time; we are moving towards excellence,” he said. 

The examination period will end on November 7.

Last week, Rutayisire warned students against cheating examinations, saying that those found committing the offence would face a minimum of two years in prison. 

He said that an extra number of invigilators and policemen would be deployed for maximum supervision to avoid exam malpractices.

Primary Six pupils sat their Primary Leaving Examinations last week.

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