The classrooms had fallen quiet inside at G.S. Filippo Smaldone in Nyarugenge after days of Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) pressure. Outside, conversation continued in a language of expressive hands and warm smiles.

Seated on a bench in front of their classroom at G.S. Filippo Smaldone in Nyarugenge, Akhibaru Mugengasaye and his classmate, Cynthia Umuganwa, animatedly exchanged thoughts in sign language, reflecting on exams that had just completed

It's around 11:30 a.m., only a short while after the final examination papers had been handed in. From a distance, their teacher watched over them, allowing the two friends a moment to relive the experience they shared.

Both Mugengasaye and Umuganwa are persons with hearing and speaking impairments and were among the candidates who sat the national examinations, which concluded on July 9.

Interviews with the pair required the assistance of their teacher, Sister Valentine Dushimirimana, who interpreted their responses into spoken language for the reporter.

For Mugengasaye, the examinations were less daunting than he had anticipated. Through Sister Dushimirimana's interpretation, he explained that the papers were generally manageable.

"The exams were relatively easy,” he said through Dushimirimana, the teacher at G.S. Filippo Smaldone who served as a sign language interpreter during the interview.

Mugengasaye recalled how each examination session began with a prayer, a routine that helped calm the candidates before they settled down to write.

"We started every exam with a prayer and received clear instructions from our sign language interpreter before we started each exam, while other instructions were clearly written on the examination papers," he said.

Mugengasaye is one of 928 candidates with special educational needs who sat the 2025/26 Primary Leaving Examinations.

About 60 per cent of the candidates are girls, according to the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA).

He said that some exams required more time and energy to finish. In fact, candidates of special educational needs who sat PLE were given special attention treatment.

"Both Mathematics and Kinyarwanda were hard. Mathematics requires more thinking, while Kinyarwanda is always hard for us as deaf people,” he added.

"I needed more time in the Kinyarwanda exam because it requires more reading and understanding of the text, which I could not complete on time, so I used extra time to finish,” he adds.

Mugengasaye hopes that he performs well in all the exams and dreams of studying languages at Advanced Level before specializing in languages so that he can become a university language lecturer.

"I am grateful that I was allowed to sit the national examinations and that I was given extra time to complete them. It helped me think properly and do the exams without any pressure. I hope it adds value to what I did. I am optimistic that I did well and will pass,” he said.

Umuganwa, 15, who also has a hearing and speaking impairment, said the Kinyarwanda exam was tough and took her extra time to complete.

"Kinyarwanda was the toughest exam,” she said. "I could not finish it on time. I had to read the text many times to understand it and answer the questions. I also needed more explanation and guidance from my sign language interpreter, which required more time,” she says.

"I also required more time in Mathematics and I hope I did well in all the exams, thanks to the support I received from my teachers, who put in more effort to prepare me for the exams and ensure that I got all the support I needed,” she adds, noting that she wants to become a medical doctor after completing university.

At GS HVP Gatagara in Rwamagana District, Samuel Ndayisaba, who is visually impaired, sat the examinations and was allowed three hours instead of the usual two hours allocated to candidates without disabilities.

He used a Perkins machine, which blind and partially sighted persons use to write in Braille.

"The exams are set in Braille, which means we receive more papers than those using ordinary printed papers. It also requires more time to go through them and type using the Perkins machine,” he said.

"I would not have been able to finish the exams in two hours, and I was glad that I had extra time, which allowed me to focus more and do the exams without any pressure,” he said.

Braille is a tactile writing system of raised dots that enables blind and visually impaired individuals to read and write through touch, while a Perkins machine is used to type in Braille.

Teachers provided required support

Placide Uwiringiyimana Kaberuka, Deputy Head Teacher in charge of Studies at GS HVP Gatagara, said students with visual impairments are given one extra hour to complete their examinations, allowing them to concentrate better.

"Students with low vision were also provided with large-print examination papers so that they could read more easily, while those using Braille continued to respond in Braille. This makes it easier for learners with low vision than relying only on Braille,” he said.

"This is a good initiative introduced by the Ministry of Education because it gives students enough time to complete their examinations,” he added.

Sister Dushimirimana, a teacher at G.S. Filippo Smaldone in Nyarugenge District, hailed the government for the support provided to learners with special educational needs, stressing that they require more attention than others.

During the Primary Leaving Examinations, she said, learners are provided with sign language interpreters who assist them, and they are also given extra time to complete their exams.

"Learners with hearing and speaking impairments take more time to think because they do so in sign language before translating their thoughts into other languages. They therefore require more time, especially in examinations that involve reading long texts,” she said.

"We supported them during the examinations by giving unwritten instructions, while they could read the written ones. We also assisted those who needed more time and allowed them to finish their exams,” she added.

Official speak out

Education officials said each candidate is 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 told the media during the launch of the examination period on Tuesday at Groupe Scolaire Remera Catholique in Gasabo District.