Record number of primary, O-Level candidates pass national exams

More than 371,000 candidates passed the 2025/26 national examinations at primary and Ordinary Level, according to results announced on Thursday, August 20. ALSO READ: National exams: Kirehe leads top-performing districts Up to 88.2 per cent of 276,579 candidates who sat the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) passed. 85.7 per cent of 149,015 candidates who sat the Ordinary Level examinations passed. Combined, the two examinations had 371,660 successful candidates out of 425,594 who sat, giving an overall pass rate of about 87.3 per cent. ALSO READ: National exams: How learners with disabilities get extra support In the 2024/26 national exams, 75.64 percent of PLE candidates passed while 64.35 percent of O-Level candidates passed. The results were announced by the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA), with officials highlighting both improvements and declines across individual subjects. Performance by subject in PLE At primary level, mathematics recorded one of the most improvements, with the pass rate increasing from 27.5 per cent to 50 per cent. The pass rate in Science and Elementary Technology increased from 71.2 per cent to 81.1 per cent, while Social Studies and Religious Education rose from 75 per cent to 95 per cent. However, English dropped from 72.4 per cent to 66.4 per cent, while Kinyarwanda recorded a slight decline from 98.4 per cent to 98.1 per cent. ALSO READ: National exams: How learners with disabilities get extra support The distribution of grades also showed a shift towards the middle and upper performance bands, although the proportion of candidates scoring between 90 and 100 per cent declined. Candidates scoring between 60 and 70 per cent increased from 23.25 per cent to 28.60 per cent, while those scoring between 70 and 80 per cent rose from 13.90 per cent to 17.93 per cent. The proportion scoring between 80 and 90 per cent increased from 8.13 per cent to 8.57 per cent, while those scoring between 90 and 100 per cent fell from 2.48 per cent to 1.63 per cent. Performance in O-Level At Ordinary Level, 149,550 candidates registered, with 149,015 sitting the examinations held from July 15 to 24. A total of 127,702 candidates passed, representing a rate of 85.7 per cent. Female candidates made up 57.22 per cent of those who sat the examinations. The results showed a gender gap in performance, with 89.8 per cent of male candidates passing, compared with 82.63 per cent of female candidates. Performance improved in most O-Level subjects, with Mathematics recording the largest increase, rising from 43.9 per cent to 87.5 per cent. Biology and Health Sciences also recorded a significant improvement, increasing from 44.8 per cent to 77.3 per cent, while English rose from 57.9 per cent to 78.8 per cent. Performance in Geography and Environment increased from 83.1 per cent to 92.5 per cent, while History and Citizenship rose from 62.7 per cent to 75.5 per cent. Kinyarwanda recorded a further improvement, increasing from 98.5 per cent to 99.8 per cent, while Chemistry rose from 59.8 per cent to 65.6 per cent. However, performance in Entrepreneurship declined from 74.8 per cent to 69.6 per cent. Physics also recorded an increase, from 27.6 per cent to 34.4 per cent. District performance At district level, Kayonza, Kirehe and Rusizi recorded the highest O-Level performance, with scores of 88, 86 and 85 per cent, respectively. NESA assessed district performance over a three-year period, providing a broader measure of consistency in learning outcomes from Primary Four, Five and Six and Senior One, Two and Three. In Primary, Kicukiro ranked first with 83 points, followed by Gasabo and Nyarugenge, both with 82 points. The three-year ranking differed from performance based solely on the previous year's national examinations, Kirehe ranked first with 99.88 per cent, followed by Ngoma with 95.27 per cent and Musanze with 93.90 per cent. At Ordinary Level, Kayonza, Kirehe and Rusizi were the top-performing districts based on overall performance across Senior One to Senior Three, recording scores of 88, 86 and 85, respectively. Based on the proportion of candidates who passed the national examinations, Kirehe ranked first with 99.98 per cent, followed by Musanze with 96.63 per cent and Karongi with 94.77 per cent. Officials said the comparison highlights the importance of looking beyond performance in a single examination year, noting that some districts tend to intensify efforts as national examinations approach. Compared with the previous academic year, the number of candidates in primary increased by about 50,000, an increase officials attributed partly to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, where learners whose education was disrupted during the pandemic have since progressed through the system and are now reaching the examination stage. Authorities also reported cases of examination malpractice, including cheating and copying. The State Minister of education Claduette Irere said results of students linked to suspected irregularities were withheld pending further investigations, with disciplinary action taken where violations were confirmed.

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Record number of primary, O-Level candidates pass national exams