Gatsibo - As most pupils who last year completed their primary education celebrated last week, their passing of the national examinations, it was a sad moment for 50-year-old Boniface Kabagema.

Kabagema, who sat for his exams at Nyamiyaga Primary School in Murambi sector, Gatsibo district, was classified in the last division with ‘unclassified’ division.

According to examination results obtained from Rwanda National Examination Council Website, Kabagema obtained 8 in Mathematics, 9 in Sciences, 9 in Kinyarwanda; 9 in English and 9 in social sciences totaling to aggregate of 44.

Speaking to The New Times from his home in Rwimitereri Cell, Kabagema said that he was disappointed by the failure but added that he will never give up the struggle to excel in education.

"My dream is to become a judge. I failed PLE because of many reasons…especially the English language that was hard for me. But am sure I will style up when I join Nine-year-basic education school,” a confident Kabagema, who studied at the same school with his ten- year-old last born said.

In an interview, his Mathematics teacher, Fabien Karamaga, admitted that the oldest PLE candidate in the country failed because of the language factor.
"He was an inspiring teacher in class. But because he first joined a French school, it was hard for him to pass English exams since he shifted to English a year before the exams, he said.

Kabagagema’s challenges in school days, he said, are the fact that he is married and has to fend for the entire family, which some times made him to skip lessons.

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