Lawmakers on Wednesday, February 26, called for a thorough inquiry into circumstances leading to high repetition rates among students, especially in primary education. They made the call as the lower house approved a parliamentary report on the implementation of the 2003 education policy, and the 2017/2024 education sector strategic plan in the country. The report was produced by the house’s standing Committee on Education, Technology, Culture, Sports and Youth, which assessed the application of both the education policy and strategic plan. ALSO READ: REB introduces remedial courses for over 300,000 lower primary pupils While presenting the report, committee chairperson MP Emma Furaha Rubagumya, said that MPs realised that the government carried out various activities in line with promoting education that led to an increase in the number of learners in all education levels. However, she said, there are indicators that regressed in terms of basic education performance. She cited the repetition rate among pupils in primary education which is currently at 30.2 per cent, down from 13.4 per cent in the academic year 2017/2018. Among lower secondary students, the rate of repeating class stands at 20.6 per cent, compared to 6 per cent in 2017/2018. ALSO READ: The cost of repeating class Rubagumya said the current repetition rate among students is a concerning problem. “If this issue persists, it can have a negative impact on education,” she said, calling for action to reverse the trend. MP Sylvie Mukayiranga Muyango asked about the underlying factors for the high repetition rates, especially in primary education. She wondered whether it is the curriculum that does not match the capacity of children, or it is teachers who are unable to provide the required level of training. “This [repetition] can lead to long-term challenges. Children who have repeated can lose interest in school, or drop out of school, because repetition affects a student and their confidence regarding education,” she said. With the number of school classrooms increasing, and the students to teacher ratio going down – which implies a teacher has a relatively lower number of learners to cater for – and the school feeding programme expanded, Rubagumya said there is a need to understand factors that may make school children fail exams. She said that departments in charge should monitor the issue to establish its underlying causes, as well as find solutions to it. ALSO READ: Government terminates automatic promotion for students Parliament resolved to look into education access related indicators – including the issue of repetition and dropout rates – in basic education schools, from pre-primary to upper secondary. According to the 2024-2029 education sector strategic plan, to achieve improved learning outcomes in primary education, targets and appropriate interventions have been developed to address identified challenges. These include reducing the repetition rate to 15 per cent – by continuously implementing remedial learning education strategies. Rwanda targets to reduce repetition rate among secondary education students to 7.5 per cent by 2029, according to the strategic plan. To address the challenges of repetition and improve foundational learning, the strategic plan aims to implement a remedial learning programme targeting learners who fall behind in literacy and numeracy. This will be supported by diagnostic assessments to identify learning gaps early.
