The Ministry of Education has withheld results of 1,079 candidates who sat Primary Leaving and Ordinary Level exams in 2016 over various malpractices, officials from Rwanda Education Board said.

Speaking after releasing the results, yesterday, Emmanuel Muvunyi, the deputy director-general of examinations at Rwanda Education Board, said the malpractices occurred during the exams period and during marking.

According to Muvunyi, 614 cases of exam malpractices were registered in PLE compared to 455 cases the previous year.

In O-Level, he said, the number doubled compared to the previous year, registering 465 cases from 206 cases of previous year.

Kayonza District in Eastern Province topped the tainted tecord in PLE, while Nyaruguru in Southern Province had more cases in Senior Three, according to Muvunyi.

‘A vice to uproot’

The State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Isaac Munyakazi, said that while other candidates are ready to see their results online and using SMSs, those who involved in malpractices will see a notice that their exams were withheld.

Some of the cases of the malpractice the minister cited included students who wrote their names on answer booklets, others took notes on small papers in examination rooms, while others could have been helped by invigilators or school administrators.

"Those involved in malpractice will be seeing messages that their results were withheld,” he said, adding that administrative measures were taken against those involved.

According to Muvunyi, malpractices in exams have become a serious vice to fight as it undermines the education system.

He said they will continue to punish culprits.

"This is a vice that has to be fought. It seriously undermines the efforts upon which our education system is built,” said Muvunyi.

"Of course, we will receive complaints of those who think they are being victimised, but we have evidence beyond reasonable doubt. We will not tolerate malpractice in any form.”

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