Rwanda: Over 258,000 Candidates to Sit O-Level, a-Level National Exams

14 July 2026
The New Times (Kigali)
By Aurore Teta Ufitiwabo

A total of 258,255 candidates are set to sit the 2025/26 Secondary School National Examinations, slated for Wednesday, July 15-24, according to the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA).

In a statement released on Tuesday, NESA said the examinations will be administered at 1,746 examination centres across the country.

Of the registered candidates, 149,533 will sit for Ordinary Level (O-Level) examinations, while 108,722 will do Advanced Level (A-Level) examinations.

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Female candidates account for 56.3 per cent of all registered candidates.

The examinations cover Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level programmes, including General Education (GE), Technical Secondary Schools (TSS), Teacher Training Colleges (TTC), Accounting (ACC), and the Associate Nursing Programme (ANP).

According to NESA, 879 candidates with disabilities have been registered to sit the examinations and will receive the necessary accommodations to ensure equitable participation.

The accommodations include Braille examination papers, large-print materials, scribes, and additional examination time, depending on each candidate's needs.

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The authority noted that the number of candidates has increased compared to the 2024/25 examination cycle, when 255,624 candidates sat for the secondary national examinations, representing an increase of about 1 per cent this year.

NESA encouraged candidates, parents, and schools to follow official communication channels for examination timetables, guidance, and other updates throughout the examination period.

Read the original article on New Times.

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