The combination of teachers’ and students’ efforts to study on time, through research and team work were cited among the secrets behind schools producing top performing students in last year’s A’ level exams.
Pascal Tuyisenge, the head teacher of Petit Séminaire St Vincent high school, said one of his former students; Francois d’Assise Tuyisingize, 18, emerged the best in all Science combinations in the whole country scoring an aggregate of 73 which is the best score a student can get.
Tuyisingize studied Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry and was not the only winner from the school; five of his colleagues also got the same aggregate.
His other classmates also performed well with the last one getting an average of 40 out of 73.
Tuyisenge attributed the good performance of his school to discipline, hard work and continuous assessment.
"The most important thing we try to instill in our students is discipline. This helps them learn their objectives and responsibilities as early as possible,” he said.
He added that one of the things that really helped last year’s candidates was the weekly tests that they sat.
"Every Sunday, the teachers would make sure that the students sat for a test examining them on what they studied during the week. This helped them get used to being tested and settled any anxieties that come with exams,” he noted.
Nyamasheke Secondary School headmistress Lucie Nagiruwishema, whose school produced the best performer in History, Economics and Geography (HEG) said research and constant revision was the main factor behind the success of their candidates.
One of her students, Pax Agrippine Nubuhoro scored an aggregate of 73 which is the highest in the combination while her colleagues also performed very well with the last scoring aggregate 55.
"We as the administration really wanted to ensure that we provide research facilities so that the students have all the resources they need to excel. Whether it was the provision of text books that Rwanda Education Board recommended, the access to internet or even the knowledge provided by the teachers. We made sure that the students wouldn’t find any reason not to perform excellently,” she added.
College du Christ Roi cited thorough preparation which they have had done for many years gave their top performers the push they needed to emerge the best in all language combinations.
Violette Tuyishime, Yvonne Dusenge and Marcel Ntwali all did Literature in English, Kiswahili and Kinyarwanda (LKK) and scored aggregate 73 each.
"We believe that if a final year student is to pass the final examinations, preparations should begin as early as Senior 4,” Jacques Hakizimana, the school principle said.
He also pointed out that teachers emphasize to their students the need to keep in mind the importance of valuing all the lessons taken every academic year.
"As soon as the teachers are done with what they are required to teach by REB, the students then take up the initiative to keenlygo through what they have been taught,” he added.
All the schools who had top performers also said that taking care of the students and ensuring that they got everything they needed to study well was their top priority and remains on top of their academic agenda.
editorial@newtimesrwanda.com