Rwanda is considering seven key measures to improve student performance after the country’s results in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) showed that 15-year-olds continue to perform below the average in science, mathematics and English.

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The results of PISA 2025 were presented on Tuesday, September 8. Rwanda scored 301, below OECD average of 460. The top performer was Singapore, which scored 535. This was Rwanda's first participation in the student assessment prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Education Minister Joseph Nsengimana said the results show that Rwanda still has work to do to improve learning outcomes.

"What came out shows that we are not where we wish to be. If you count the three areas student assessed mathematics, English and science, you see that our students are below the average,” Nsengimana said.

He said the assessment provides an opportunity to examine the weaknesses identified and determine the actions needed to address them.

The measures were presented by Dr Bernard Bahati, Director General of the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA).

ALSO READ: What PISA results say about Rwanda’s education system

1. Support based on students’ learning needs

The first proposed measure is to provide structured and targeted support according to students’ levels of achievement.

The assessment showed that learners are distributed across different levels of proficiency. While some have reached Level Two, a considerable number is just below that level, while another large group remains at the lower end.

Bahati said students just below Level Two should receive support to help them progress, while those at the lower end need stronger foundations in literacy and numeracy.

"We need to diagnose which support should be given to whom,” he said.

This approach would allow the education system to identify the specific needs of different groups of learners instead of applying the same intervention to all students.

2. Protect learning time and reduce absenteeism

The second priority is to protect learning time by reducing absenteeism and school dropout rate.

PISA findings showed that 54 percent of Rwandan students aged 15 reported having skipped class at least once during the two weeks before taking the assessment.

The findings also showed a significant performance difference between students who attended classes regularly and those who skipped classes.

Bahati said mechanisms have already been put in place to reduce absenteeism and prevent students from dropping out.

"We have started already working on that, putting in place some of the mechanisms to see how we can curb absenteeism, and that also leads to reduction in dropout rates,” he said.

He called for these efforts to be strengthened so that students spend more time in class and have fewer interruptions to their learning.

3. Improve girls’ performance in science and mathematics

The third measure focuses on helping more female students improve their performance in science and mathematics.

The assessment identified a gender gap in some areas of learning, prompting a call for mechanisms that can support female students to reach higher levels of proficiency.

The objective is to ensure that girls are given the support needed to perform better in subjects such as science and mathematics.

4. Direct resources to schools with greater needs

PISA findings showed that other factors, including availability of learning materials, teachers, prior learning and students’ socio-economic backgrounds, continue to influence performance.

The assessment found that students from better-off families scored 29 points higher in science, 26 points higher in reading and 20 points higher in mathematics than students from disadvantaged families and communities.

Bahati said this calls for attention to the circumstances affecting students beyond the classroom.

5. Make schools safer and address bullying

More than 81 percent of students who took the assessment said they felt safe at school. However, the reported sense of safety declined in areas such as playgrounds and corridors.

Bahati said more attention should therefore be given to the wider school environment to ensure students feel safe throughout the school compound.

Bullying was also identified as an area of concern. 57 per cent of students reported experiencing at least one form of bullying.

The assessment found that students who reported experiencing bullying scored 21 points lower in science than those who did not report experiencing it.

Officials cautioned, however, that the findings on bullying and safety should be interpreted carefully because they were based on students’ self-reported experiences rather than robust surveys.

6. Make family-school communication routine

The sixth measure is to strengthen communication between families and schools by making contact a routine.

Parents would be encouraged to regularly ask their children about their school experience, what they are learning and whether they are facing any difficulties.

The approach is not necessarily about helping children with homework or revision, but about maintaining regular conversations about their experiences at school, he said.

Officials said such communication can help parents identify challenges early and remain involved in their children’s education.

7. Strengthen science and English learning

Minister Nsengimana said Rwanda also needs to look beyond whether students can simply reproduce what they have been taught, particularly in science.

He said the science assessment examined whether students could apply their knowledge to real-life situations.

"The assessment of science was not only about catching what the teacher taught. It was beyond that,” Nsengimana said.

"There is learning science, but also having knowledge of using it in real life. That is what they asked them, and we are going to focus on them to understand how to use it,” he added.

The assessment was conducted in English, which is the language of instruction.

He said Rwanda has therefore started training teachers to strengthen their English proficiency, arguing that improving teachers’ language skills could also improve students’ learning.

"If teachers boost their knowledge, also students will” he said.

Nsengimana said Rwanda also plans to learn from countries that have performed strongly in PISA or made significant improvements over time.

He said Rwanda invited countries such as Singapore and Vietnam, which have made notable progress, to share the changes they made to improve their education systems.

"We invited these countries here in Rwanda on September 17 to share with us what they did and what they changed, as they did not perform well before. So how did they improve? What did they do?” Nsengimana said.

He added that African countries that participated in the assessment, as well as those that will participate in future assessments, will also be involved.

He said the next PISA assessment due in 2029 will provide an opportunity to measure whether the interventions introduced in response to the recent findings are producing results.

"In coming days, we are going to go deep into what came from PISA to learn from it,” Nsengimana said.