The Ministry of Education and the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA) on August 19, 2025, released the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) and O’Level results for the 2024/2025 academic year.
The outcome highlighted outstanding individual performances, notable regional disparities, and continuing challenges in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.
While thousands of learners celebrated success, the spotlight fell on girls’ remarkable progress, Kirehe District’s unexpected rise to the top, and the country’s renewed focus on raising standards in mathematics and physics.
At the occasion, Education Minister Joseph Nsengiyumva commended the candidates, calling for sustained collaboration to ensure quality learning.
“It is important to keep raising the quality of education. We must all, students, teachers, and parents, work together to make sure children succeed. We will never deceive them into believing they know when they don’t,” he cautioned.
“But we will use every effort to help them truly learn. This is what will enable children to grow and develop the country,” Nsengiyumva emphasized.
Outstanding students and girls’ rising performance
The academic year produced shining stars at both primary and lower secondary levels. In PLE, six pupils stood out, led by Victor Leo Arakaza of Wisdom School Musanze, who achieved an exceptional 99.4 per cent.
He was closely followed by Gloria Brave Impano (98.8%), Darcy Gavin Gall Duhirwe of Ecole Internationale La Racine in Bugesera (98.8%), Hiliness Joannah Nsengiyumva (98.8%), and Gerardine Keza Ashimwe (98.8%).
Notably, four of the six top scorers were girls, reaffirming the trend of female learners outperforming their male counterparts.
At O’Level, the spotlight turned to Tresor Henock Izere from Rwamagana District, who topped the national list with 98.67 per cent. A student at Es Efotec Kanombe, Izere credited hard work, discipline, and parental support for his achievement.
“Emerging at the top was a dream come true,” he said. “I love technology, and it is what I wish to pursue at Advanced Level. I worked hard for this, and when you reach the top, you must continue working hard to maintain your position,” he said.
Close behind him were Albert Uwumuremyi of Hope Haven Christian Secondary School (98%), Elyse Flora Ineza (97.89%), Jean D’Amour Ndayishimiye (97.89%), and Jean Eudes Happy Agaba of Petit Séminaire St. Aloys Cyangugu (97.78%).
Agaba, who has since joined Rwanda Coding Academy, said he was initially uncertain about aiming for the national top list but later focused and achieved his dream with the encouragement of his parents.
This year, girls maintained an edge in overall performance. Out of the 219,926 candidates who sat for PLE, 166,334 passed, representing a 75.64 per cent pass rate. Of these, 53.2 per cent were girls.
At O’Level, 148,677 students sat for the exams, with 95,674 passing, translating into a 64.35 per cent pass rate. Once again, girls led with 53.2 per cent compared to 49.8 per cent for boys.
Experts attribute this to sustained community engagement, targeted interventions in female retention, and stronger school-family partnerships.
Regional trends and the challenge of STEM
The geographical spread of results revealed striking differences across the country. Kirehe District, on Rwanda’s eastern border with Tanzania, emerged as the top performer nationally.
It registered a 93 per cent pass rate at both PLE and O’Level, propelling Eastern Province to the highest regional position. Neighboring districts Ngoma and Kayonza also posted strong results.
Education officials are now studying Kirehe’s model to replicate it in other districts. Minister Nsengiyumva confirmed that his team would travel to Kirehe to understand what drives its success.
Evidence points to a mix of high school attendance rates, strong early learning, close student monitoring, gender balance in classrooms, and robust community engagement.
The Mahama refugee camp, home to over 45,000 refugees with structured schooling programs, has also contributed positively to the district’s statistics.
Despite these achievements, subject-specific weaknesses remain a concern. Mathematics in primary and physics in lower secondary recorded the lowest performances. Only 27 per cent of pupils passed mathematics at the primary level, while physics at O’Level had a 27.55 per cent pass rate.
These figures contrast sharply with subjects like Kinyarwanda, which recorded pass rates of 98 per cent in both PLE and O’Level, and Geography and Environment at 83 per cent in O’Level.
The poor STEM performance has prompted the government to introduce corrective measures. Nsengiyumva announced that remedial mathematics classes will become mandatory in primary schools, while mathematics will be made compulsory at Advanced Level.
“These are not good results. We need to put more effort into remedial classes so that pupils can perform better in this subject, just as we must do for Mathematics at A’Level. Now we know where to direct our efforts, and next time we meet, the numbers must go up,” he admitted.
Moving forward
Placement into the next academic level has already been made. Over 15,000 primary graduates have been admitted into boarding secondary schools, while more than 150,000 will join day schools.
At O’Level completion, 20,681 students will continue in boarding general education schools, 18,929 in day schools, and thousands more in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, Teacher Training Colleges, and specialized programs in nursing and accounting.
The 2024/2025 results reflect a system making significant progress, particularly in gender equity and regional leadership, yet still grappling with foundational gaps in STEM.
For policymakers, the challenge now is to sustain the gains, close subject gaps, and ensure that Rwanda’s education system produces not only top scorers but also a generation equipped with the skills to drive national development.
