The Ministry of Education, through the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA), on August 19 released the 2024/2025 national results for Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) and Ordinary Level (O’Level). This year saw an overall pass rate of 75.64 percent for PLE and 64.35 percent for O’Level. While this year’s performance is measured against a pass mark of 50 out of 100, officials emphasised that the overall quality of results improved compared to the previous year. Here are five key takeaways from the results. 1. Kirehe District emerges top nationwide Kirehe District outperformed all others, recording the highest pass rates both in PLE and in O’Level. The district achieved more than 97 percent in PLE and over 91 percent in O’Level. Other top-performing districts in PLE included Kicukiro (92.28 percent), Ngoma (90.93 percent), Nyagatare (87.18 percent), and Rusizi (85.93 percent). At the bottom of the PLE, rankings were Nyaruguru (64.57 percent), Ruhango (66.68 percent), Nyabihu (68.99 percent), Kamonyi (69.46 percent), and Nyamagabe (69.63 percent). In O’Level, Ngoma (78.8 percent), Kayonza (78.4 percent), Rusizi (70.5 percent), and Rulindo (69.5 percent) followed Kirehe at the top. The lowest-ranked districts were Musanze (44.6 percent), Kamonyi (45 percent), Gakenke (46 percent), Nyarugenge (46.1 percent), and Gasabo (47.1 percent). 2. Private schools outperform public schools Most of the top 11 national performers came from private schools, which shows a persistent performance gap with public schools. Education Minister Joseph Nsengimana acknowledged the disparity, attributing it partly to resource availability in private schools. However, he emphasised that government schools are also improving, thanks to initiatives such as the remedial programme introduced earlier this year. “The remedial programme, which started in January, will now be expanded with the new academic year. Our focus is on strengthening quality education, especially in public and government-aided schools, so that their performance steadily rises,” Nsengiyumva said. 3. Weakness in Mathematics and Physics remains a concern Despite improvements in overall performance, results revealed significant weaknesses in Mathematics for PLE and Physics at the O’Level. Only 27 percent of candidates passed Mathematics in PLE, while 27.55 percent passed Physics in O’level, figures the minister described as “low.” He noted that overall; sciences remain the most challenging subjects for many students. “This shows us where we need to focus our efforts. In Physics, most schools offered science combinations but were not teaching it physics. The new learning pathways will help correct this gap, and remedial efforts will be concentrated in these subjects,” Nsengiyumva said. He added that strengthening STEM education is essential for preparing students for Rwanda’s future workforce needs. 4. Over 100,000 students to repeat classes The results also indicate that more than 100,000 students will have to repeat their classes. A total of 53,566 PLE candidates and 53,002 O’Level candidates failed to meet the required pass mark and will repeat Primary Six and Senior Three, respectively. Responding to questions on whether students who failed could transfer to private schools, Nsengiyumva clarified that the requirement to score at least 50 out of 100 applies uniformly to all schools in Rwanda, whether public or private. “This is a national guideline, not limited to public schools. To be promoted, students must meet the pass mark set by NESA,” he explained. 5. Boarding school placement remains limited Placement in boarding schools continues to be highly competitive, with the majority of students placed in day schools. Out of 166,334 students transitioning to Senior One, only 15,695 (9.44 percent) secured places in boarding schools, while 150,639 were placed in day schools. According to NESA Director General Bernard Bahati, placement decisions were guided by three criteria: candidates’ scores, school capacity, and student preferences. In Senior Four placements, however, the numbers were different. Of the 95,467 candidates admitted to A’Level, 55,809 (58.46 percent) were placed in boarding schools, while 39,658 went to day schools. Bahati noted that the distribution reflected the capacity of available schools. He also reminded parents and students that appeals on placement or learning pathways must be filed within 14 days of results publication via the SDMS platform. School head teachers must submit appeals on exam marks within 30 days, also through SDMS.
