TVET students excel

Performance:Boys, rural schools top againThe Workforce Development Authority (WDA), yesterday released, last year’s A’Level technical and professional national examinations of which a stunning 90.8 percent of candidates, passed.This is the first time WDA has administered the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools’ national exams after it took over the responsibilities from the former Rwanda National Examination Council (RNEC), now party of Rwanda Education Board (REB), in December 2010.REB now only handles national Primary, O’Level and A’Level exams.Of the 16,714 candidates who sat for the exams, 15,185 qualified for advanced level certificate in technical and professional secondary education. 17,178 students had registered to sit for the national examinations.According to the results, officially released by Dr. Mathias Harebamungu, State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, male candidates again outshined their female counterparts, comprising 50.5 percent of those who passed.In professional subjects, candidates who qualify for the award of a certificate should have passed in three subjects, with at least three subsidiary passes plus, at least an ‘E’ (two points) in the practical paper.Of the total students who sat, 51.1 percent (8, 535) were female while 48.9 percent (8, 179) were male. Only one female made it among the nine best candidates countrywide.The top student was Donatien Ndahimana (Computer Science) of College St. Emmanuel de Hanika in Nyanza District, followed by the only female, Olivia Ishimwe (Hotel Operations) of Ecole Secondaire St. Patrick in Kicukiro District. Jean de Dieu Nsabimana (Agriculture) of AEV Kabutare in Huye District, Emmanuel Uwayo (Accountancy) and Sylvia Nsabimana (Accountancy), both of Groupe Scolaire de Janja in Gakenke District, in that order, completed the list of the best five performers in the country.The best school was College APPEC of Kamonyi District, followed by Groupe Scolaire de Janja from Gakenke and Groupe Scolaire Notre Dame de Lourdes Byimana of Ruhango District respectively.G.S St. Aloys Rwamagana and Ecole Secondaire du St. Esprit of Nyanza, respectively, complete the list of best five performers in the country.The top 15 best district are also rural-based, with Gisagara, which topped in last year’s A’Level, again topping in the A’Level technical and professional exams. Gicumbi, Nyamasheke, Gatsibo and Huye followed in that order.Despite being the first TVET exams to be administered independently, Harebamungu observed that the performance was better than the previous year’s, which stood at 87.2 percent, including those of the general education.“We are happy to see girls taking the lead to enroll in vocational schools. Rural schools have once again proved to be the best, and this is because previously they lacked basic necessities,” Harebamungu said.He explained that plans are underway to decentralise some specialised vocational schools, such as the Graphic Arts’ school, the only one in the country.The Minister stated that head teachers will pick results for their respective schools, effective Monday, from specific locations in each province.In Kigali, results will be picked from IPRC Kicukiro, at IPRC South-Kavumu in the Southern Province while in the Western, head teachers will pick them from at ETO Kibuye.Heads of schools in the Eastern and Northen provinces can pick them from IPRC North in Musanze and ETO Kibungo respectively.Candidates can also access their results online (www.wda.gov.rw) Jerome Gasana, the Director General of WDA, observed that majority of the students in TVET schools get employed before they even graduate, but added that plans were underway to devise other means of job creation.