Rwanda is among 80 countries participating in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The benefits include the improvement of curriculum and teaching strategies, access to international benchmarks for measuring student performance, and data-driven policy decisions to further enhance education quality, according to the Ministry of Education. Rwanda joined this global evaluation in 2024. The PISA is conducted in two phases. The first phase, a field trial, took place from May 27 to June 6, 2024, involving 1,440 students across 45 schools. The second phase, launched on Monday, April 28, at G.S Camp Kigali and NU-Vision High School in the City of Kigali, runs until June 7, with 7,350 students across 213 schools nationwide taking the assessment. Participating in the assessment will lead to a comprehensive report comparing Rwanda’s student performance with that of other countries, provide clear insights to guide education policy and enhance teaching methodologies, and build a strong foundation for the country's participation in future education assessments. The PISA, conducted every three years by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), assesses the ability of students to apply their knowledge and skills in reading, mathematics, and science to real-world situations. It focuses less on memorization and more on evaluating how well students are prepared for the demands of future challenges. Selected students sit for the evaluation after receiving instructions clarifying that the assessment was not about their academic performance, but aimed at connecting them to a global education initiative. ALSO READ: Govt outlines strategies to eliminate school dropout Why PISA matters for Rwanda “Rwanda aspires to be a contributor to global education by aligning its local system with international standards, the Minister of Education, Joseph Nsengimana, said at the launch of the PISA survey. We are assessing education quality to identify strengths and gaps to better prepare students for future challenges, improve teaching methods, curriculum, and teacher training to achieve high-quality education and lifelong learning.” “This is going to help us to carry out our programmes and be at the international level. Since we want to achieve Vision 2050, we also need to be implementing and excelling at the global standards. Therefore, the need to figure out where we are and what we need to do to be at that level,” he said. According to Nsengimana, students will be evaluated on reading literacy, and using mathematics to solve real-world problems as well as applying science and critical thinking. “PISA is not tied to a specific school curriculum for any country but rather assesses how well skills meet real-world challenges,” said Nsengimana. “Ultimately, this will help us improve curriculum and teaching strategies, access to international benchmarks for measuring student performance and data-driven policy decisions to further strengthen education quality,” he added. Up until the late 1990s, international comparisons of education systems focused largely on school attendance or years of schooling. However, PISA revolutionized this by directly measuring what students know and can do, making it a powerful tool for both policymakers and educators, officials said. In essence, PISA makes key information available to educators and policymakers so they can make more informed decisions.
