Selection of S.1, S.4 students begins today

KIGALI - SELECTION of Senior One and Senior Four students is scheduled to begin today with various public schools will be taking up students according to their choices and grades. This comes ahead of the proposed commencement of studies for, whose results were published last week, and are scheduled to start school on February 7.In 2010, 161,445 pupils sat for the Primary Leaving Exams where 54.11 percent are girls. 59, 182 students sat for O’level exams in 2010. According to the Rwanda National Examination Council, (RNEC) Executive Secretary John Rutayisire, the selection is based on two main considerations; performance and the choices of a candidate. “The number of places available in schools most times influences the cut off point,” said Rutayisire yesterday.The cut-off point this year for primary school candidates is 18 points. Girls have more places than boys so the cut off point for boys is 14 points. This is one of the policies that have been put in place by the government to encourage the education of the girl child.For O’level, girls’ cut off point stands at 43 points whereas for boys it will be 35 points. Nevertheless, after P.6, all students who have not been selected are supposed to join S1 under the Nine Year Basic Education (9-YBE) programme. At O’level, those who don’t go to public schools may join private schools or Professional and Technical Institutions. Ends