Why faith-based schools excel academically

Faith-based schools have always featured on the list of the top performing schools in the country. These schools have a history of excellence and are also known to have produced some of the most successful politicians, entrepreneurs, and journalists among others. So many parents wish to see their children admitted to these schools. The likes of Ecole de Sciences de Byimana, Groupe Scolaire Officiel de Butare (GSOB Indatwa n’Inkesha), Petit Seminaire St. Leon Kabgayi, Petit Seminaire Virgo Fidelis de Karubanda, Groupe Scolaire St. Joseph Kabgayi, Groupe Scolaire St. André, Petit Seminaire de Nyundo, ENDP Karubanda and Petit Seminaire Ndera rarely miss out on the list of top performing schools. These schools have consistently excelled both at Ordinary and Advanced levels. This year, although the Ministry of Education phased out ranking of schools based on performance, a quick look at the O’Level results released recently shows that the ‘traditional giants’ excelled again. Schools such as Lycée Notre Dame de Citeaux which produced the two best students, Petit Seminaire Saint Leon de Kabgayi, Groupe Scolaire Notre Dame de Lourdes Byimana featured prominently among the top 10 schools. The results indicate that at ES Byimana, 95.8 per cent of the total 118 students who sat the O’Level national examinations passed in Division One while the rest were in Division II. The results shocked many observers who expected a decline in performance, due to three fire outbreaks at the school mid-last year, that left property worth hundreds of millions of francs destroyed. “We performed well despite the difficult times we went through,” says Brother Alphonse Gahima, the school headmaster. Discipline The high level of discipline among students has been cited as one of the reasons why faith-based schools continue to excel. Gahima says their secret to excellence lies in their capacity to maintain discipline and hard work among students. “When a school fails to enforce discipline, students waste time on unproductive ventures and thus perform poorly,” Gahima notes. He says the school also allocates enough time to students’ private study, thus giving them a chance to revise and deepen their understanding of the subjects taught. Father Pierre Celestin Rwirangira, the headmaster of GSOB Indatwa n’Inkesha, says discipline is key to students’ performance. Rwirangira also notes that students learn from the school’s former alumni who have excelled in life. Good learning environment Apart from instilling discipline among students, Brother Gahima also says the school ensures that students get the support they need from teachers and school administrators. He also says teachers work together in ‘departments’ based on the subjects they teach, thus giving them an opportunity to share skills and ideas for the benefit of students. This year, the Huye-based school had 150 students who sat O’Level exams and almost all of them passed. Father Rwirangira advises school managers to create an enabling environment for students. “It is all about making sure students and teachers have whatever they need in their duties,” Rwirangira observes.

National

Why faith-based schools excel academically