At least 3,810 pupils missed their primary national examinations on the first day of the exams on Monday, according to reports from different provinces, excluding Kigali. In the Southern Province, for instance, where 64,111 candidates registered for primary leaving exams 98.2 per cent attended, according to Olivier Maurice Mutuyimana, the province’s Public Relations and Communication Officer. This means that 1.8 per cent of the candidates or 1,153 pupils in the province missed the exams. “We are assessing the cause, but we suspect it might be related to the effects of Covid-19. Although the number is not high, no student should miss exams,” he said. In the Eastern Province, Eric Muvunyi, the province’s Public Relations and Communication Officer, said 891 candidates missed the exams. Some 65,918 candidates registered for national examinations from the seven districts, but only 65,027 attended. Five candidates did their exams in isolation because they had tested positive for Covid-19. “Some pupils did not come for the mathematics exam in the morning but attended the afternoon exam which was social and religious studies. We still count them as absentees,” Muvunyi disclosed, adding that “Kirehe District reported the highest number of candidates who missed their exams with 213 absentees.” In the Western Province 1,138 students missed the exams. “The candidates who had registered were 57,254 and 98.1 per cent of them sat for the exams,” said Desire Bisengimana in charge of Good Governance in the Western Province. “Eight candidates sat in isolation because they tested positive for Covid-19, but they are doing well and we think they will be able to finish their exams.” In the Northern Province where a total of 35,656 candidates registered for the exams in the five districts, 628 students did not attend the two first examinations. Thirty-four candidates had Covid-19 with mild symptoms. Since the figures exclude candidates from Kigali, the number of pupils who missed national exams is likely to be even higher. A total of 254,678 candidates registered for the national examination countrywide. Of these 138,065 or 54 per cent are female candidates.
