Focus: Fever as PLE exams draw near

It is that period of the year which throws all primary kids into panic. Many kids detest it; those who have been loitering will be now discovered. Primary school exams are about kick off. Many kids grow up with wild dreams. Some wish to be doctors, lawyers, teachers or presidents. But failing exams will occur especially when one has not paid enough attention. Information from Rwanda National Examination Council indicts that Primary Leaving exams will start on October, 28 and end next day. Nearly all parents are shouting at the kids who go to bed before the revision is done. Fear has gripped most of them already. Even naughty kids are becoming serious. They have embarked on vigorous revision. You see them crack jokes, but then go back to their corners and revise. “Exams can disappoint anybody because even the brightest student can fail,” says Henry Mugabo, a primary school teacher. There is nothing as big as waking up to hear that your school has emerged the best. Or you have emerged the best candidate in the country. When the results are out, some are thrilled but others go home crestfallen. Rose, 12, says her primary school has prepared her enough to pass PLE and she is not worried at all. “We have been reading very hard and I have hope things will go my way,” says Rose. For Margaret, this is an opportunity to read even more. She says though she has been revising with the help of her parents, last minute revision always helps her a great deal. “There will always be fear. Exams can defeat even the strongest. Sometimes, pupils you think are weak do better,” says Margaret. “Since Primary Four, I used to come second in a class of fifty pupils. I am praying that I pass in division one,” says Miriam Nsekonziza. She wakes up at 6am to go to school and do revision tests with other children. In the evening, Miriam revises for an hour. Sezerano Herve, 12, a student at Kigali Junior Academy, says his biggest challenge is Kinyarwanda. He lived in South Africa and retuned recently. “I read very much but my worry is Kinyarwanda. I am hopeful that things will work out,” Sezerano says. “Preparing PLE is hectic” says Didas Kamanzi, a Primary Six teacher at Kigali Junior Academy. Kigali Junior Academy has involved parents in the preparations of exams because it’s the parents’ role to build confidence within their children. “We invite parents over the weekend to give a word of encouragement to their children,” says Kamanzi. “We tell children not to give up. Failing exams is not the end of the world,” says Kamanzi. Contact: lillianean@yahoo.com