At least 928 candidates with special educational needs are expected to sit the 2025/26 Primary Leaving Examinations that began on Tuesday, July 7. About 60 per cent of the candidates are girls, according to the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA). Education officials said each candidate would be facilitated according to their individual needs. Support includes the use of large-print examination papers, Braille materials, extra time, sign language interpreters, assistive technology, examination scribes, assistant persons, and other appropriate support services. Some candidates use Braille, others require enlarged examination papers because they have low vision, while others need different forms of assistive support,” Minister of Education Joseph Nsengimana said at the launch of the examinations period on Tuesday at Groupe Scolaire Remera Catholique in Gasabo District. ”We have worked with examination centres to ensure these learners receive the facilitation they need to sit the examinations properly.” ALSO READ: Over 277,000 candidates sit 2025/26 Primary Leaving Examinations Jean Claude Nzeyimana, Head of the Basic Education and TVET Examination Department at NESA, said examination officials worked closely with schools before national examinations to identify each learner's specific needs. In previous years, some learners did not receive all the support they required. Today, we consult schools in order to understand and assess how each learner studies so that the same support is provided during national examinations, Nzeyimana said. He explained that candidates who are unable to write but can communicate their answers are assigned trained national scribes who write exactly what they dictate. We also have measures to ensure that what the scribe writes is exactly what the learner says, guaranteeing fairness throughout the examination process, he added. Justin Nshimiyimana, Coordinator of Ubumwe Community Centre, said the seven candidates from the special needs school, who include learners with hearing, visual and learning disabilities, are receiving adequate support during the examinations. For deaf learners, sign language interpreters communicate all examination instructions so that they understand everything happening at the examination centre. Candidates who write more slowly are given extra time, while blind candidates receive Braille examination papers, he said. Nshimiyimana noted that accommodations have improved over the past three years as schools submitted detailed reports on each learner's needs ahead of the examinations period. Every year, more of the support requested by schools is given. The system continues to improve, he said. ALSO READ: Curriculum for learners with cognitive disabilities in final stages At GS Gatagara, another special needs school, Head Teacher Mpayimana Cyridio said deaf learners receive additional support during language examinations because sign language differs significantly from written Kinyarwanda. Sign language is more concise than written Kinyarwanda, making some examination texts difficult to interpret directly. During language examinations, teachers help learners understand the text through sign language without influencing their answers, he said. ALSO READ: HVP-Gatagara launches Kigali branch to help PLWD He added that slow learners sit their examinations in separate rooms where each candidate is assigned a facilitator or scribe, while candidates with physical disabilities are provided with adapted desks suitable for wheelchairs and other mobility needs. According to Mpayimana, most of the challenges previously faced by candidates with disabilities have been addressed through early planning between schools and examination authorities. The remaining challenges are largely those that cannot be addressed with logistical means , he said. A total of 277,452 candidates have registered for the 2025/26 Primary Leaving Examinations. There are 154,351 girls, or 55.6 per cent of all candidates. The candidates will sit five subjects Mathematics, Kinyarwanda, English, Science and Elementary Technology, and Social and Religious Studies.
