The figures were presented by Joseph Nsengimana on Monday, March 30, 2026, during the launch of the State of Education Conference 2026.
“This shows that when we work with a clear vision, tangible results can be achieved,” he said.
Minister Nsengimana explained that the improvement is attributed to a catch-up program designed to support students who fail exams. The program allows them to retake key lessons during school holidays, helping them avoid repeating the academic year.
In 2025, the Rwanda Basic Education Board reported that the initiative helped the government save 12 billion Rwandan francs that would have otherwise been spent on students repeating classes.
The program was implemented from July 29 to August 30, 2024. Parents were encouraged to send all students who had failed so they could receive remedial lessons in subjects such as Kinyarwanda, English, and Mathematics.
Teachers from all public schools and government-partnered institutions were also required to return to schools during the holidays to support these students and help them progress to the next grade.
The program is expected to run until 2027, with a total cost exceeding 10.3 billion Rwandan francs. In the 2025/2026 fiscal year alone, it was allocated 3.957 billion Rwandan francs.
