Students worried over delay in publishing varsity admission cut-off points

Publication of cut-off points to join public universities has been delayed, leading to anxiety among prospective students. The publication normally becomes public in by March after the announcement of the A-level results. The students’ main worry is that they are not sure if they were selected for university on government scholarship. Those who failed, often register again to re-sit for national exams to accumulate enough points to get admission to university with government sponsorship, or register in private universities. Fred Mwizerwa, one of the students waiting for the listing, explained his worry to The New Times. “When the lists are published early, students get to know their position and can take necessary steps,” he said, adding that the registration exercise is almost ending. Another student, Harriette Numukobwa sounded similarly worried and said: “The delay leaves us in suspense with no options because we don’t know whether we were selected or not.” According to the Executive Secretary of Rwanda National Examination Council (RNEC) John Rutayisire, the lists normally published by the body are not yet out because of the the delay in budget allocation. He said that institutions had to wait for the budget approval to establish the actual number of places available at each university. “The process of selection, as years go by, is becoming complex as government tries to decrease the number of sponsored students. Yet the number of finalists who want to join university is increasing,” Rutayisire said. However, he promised that the lists would be out in the next two weeks. He added that those who want to register for the national exams again will still be able to do so after the publication. Ends