Close cooperation among educators, learners, parents and local authorities has emerged as a key driver of academic success in Kirehe District, education officials told Rwanda Dispatch in an exclusive interview in early December 2025.
District leaders and education practitioners say sustained investment in school infrastructure, teaching resources and the expanded use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has significantly strengthened the teaching and learning environment across the district.
These combined efforts have translated into measurable results. Kirehe District ranked as the top performer in national primary and secondary examinations, according to the 2024–2025 results released by the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC).
Teachers attribute the gains in education to the current collaboration between partners and the use of education technology,
“Each teacher has a laptop, and we use iPads to reduce preparation time and improve lesson delivery,” observed Mukamugenzi Vererie, the head teacher at Group Scholarly Paysannat L D School, located near the Mahama Refugee Camp.
the best performing school in O-Level, according to the Ministry of education results of 2024-2025.
The Eastern Province district recorded a 93.01% pass rate in the Primary Leaving Examinations, while 93.1% of Senior Three students scored at least 50% in Ordinary Level Examinations.
Across Rwanda, schools generally focus on excelling at one stage of education; whether Primary or Secondary level (Ordinary Level or Advanced Level). In Kirehe District, however, schools have taken a different approach, aiming to perform strongly at each level of education. This focus on all-round achievement has delivered remarkable results in 2025.
School attendance in the district has been on the upwards trend for years. According to the 2022 national census, Kirehe District recorded the highest net attendance in primary schools countrywide, with 90% of children aged six to 11 were in school. Early childhood learning figures are equally strong, with 85.3% of children aged three to five attending nursery or kindergarten, giving them a head start in reading, writing and numeracy skills.
In the Senior Three examinations, Mathematics emerged as the district’s best performed subject, with a 46% pass rate; the highest among subjects; while English recorded an 18.91% rate.
Data from the 2022–23 Education Statistical Yearbook show that steady investment has played a major role in Kirehe’s success. In just one year, the number of primary school classrooms rose from 1,724 up from 1,632 while pre-primary classrooms increased from 240 to 268.
Bruno Rangira, the Mayor of Kirehe District
Bruno Rangira, the Mayor of Kirehe District, said the district prioritized classroom construction in expansion drive of education infrastructure in the district.
“A good number of investments have gone into education infrastructure, and we are continuing to expand,” he said.
These expansions reduce overcrowding, improve student-teacher interactions, and support learning,
He added: “We closely follow and monitor the education sector, with proactive engagement from the sector, district leadership and school management. This helps to manage the schools in a better way and also to address pertinent issues, and challenges, work with parents, and communities to improve on discipline performance in school and during holidays,”
Attendance, he noted, has been closely tracked, “Schools have daily assessment for the students and the teachers. This reduces absenteeism,” the Mayor added.
Kirehe currently has 936 primary school teachers, translating to a pupil-teacher ratio of 116 to one. A substantial increase in the teaching staff points to efforts to strengthen staff, and ultimately improve teaching and learning.
Another factor behind the strong examinations performance is the presence of Mahama Refugee Camp, which has developed into a well-resourced education hub with support from the United Nations and partner organizations.
The refugee camp is home to more than 70,000 refugees from like Burundi, DR Congo, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia or Afghanistan, the camp runs structured primary and secondary schools with trained teachers and closely monitors learning programmes, often better resourced than those in the neighbourhoods, notes United High Commission For Refugees (UNHCR).
Students from Mahama contribute to the district’s high school attendance, strong early-years participation and impressive exam results, helping Kirehe record pass rates of more than 93% in both Primary Six and Senior.
The Mayor said the schools in Mahama boast the highest enrolment with over 10,000 students.
“We have not left the education sector solely to teachers and school management,” Rangira said, “We follow up closely and work together.”
The district’s efforts were recognized during this year’s International Teachers’ Day when Kirehe District was crowned Rwanda’s best-performing district in education.
On the excellent performance of Kirehe District, Minister Nsengimana said: “That success comes from the commitment of teachers, district leaders and parents working together.”
