More than 200,000 primary school children across the country started national primary leaving examinations on Monday, July 17, according to the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA). Among all the 202,967 PLE candidates, 111, 900 are girls while 91,067 are boys. ALSO READ: Over 400,000 candidates to sit for national exams Their exams end on Wednesday, July 19. There are 1,099 examination centres in 3,644 schools countrywide with the exams scheduled according to a timetable set by NESA. The first day covered mathematics, social studies, and religious studies. On the second day, candidates will do science and elementary technology, as well as Ikinyarwanda while the last day will focus on English. The PLE exams were on Monday morning officially launched at two schools: EP St. Dominic Kagugu, in Gasabo District, and GS Camp Kigali, in Nyarugenge District. Earlier, on July 14, NESA distributed exam papers to all Districts and officials emphasized their commitment to upholding the integrity and effectiveness of the national exams while simultaneously ensuring a fair and conducive environment for all candidates. ALSO READ: Govt launches practical national exams assessment in TVET schools O-level and A-level exams Ordinary level (O-level) and Advanced level (A-Level) exams will be conducted after the PLE exams. The next exams are scheduled to commence on July 25 and will continue until August 4, with 131,535 candidates doing O-level exams, while 48,674 candidates will sit for A-level exams. There will be 28,196 candidates from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs and 3,994 from Teachers' Training Colleges. Meanwhile, on June 19, the Ministry of Education launched the Competence-Based Integrated Assessment for practical national exams for level five candidates in Technical Secondary Schools (TSS) and TVET. This assessment will continue until June 30. The assessments aim to evaluate candidates' skills, knowledge, and attitudes to assess their proficiency in specific trades.
