Habumugisha Samuel, a 20-year-old student with visual impairment, has emerged as Rwanda’s top-performing student in the languages category in the 2025/26 national secondary school examinations, scoring 93.53%.
Habumugisha, who studied at the Education Institute for Blind Children Kibeho in Nyaruguru District, achieved the highest score in the Literature and Languages combination covering English, French, Kinyarwanda and Kiswahili.
The achievement marks the culmination of a journey that began after Habumugisha lost his sight at the age of eight following an eye condition.
At the time, he was attending Kigogo Primary School in his home district of Gicumbi. He later transferred to the school for children with visual impairment in Kibeho, where he restarted primary school and continued through secondary education.
Habumugisha said he consistently performed well throughout his studies, although his marks varied at different levels.
“In primary school, I used to score around 90%. When I reached the upper primary level, my marks dropped slightly to between 70% and 80%. In O-Level, I scored between 85% and 89% each term, while in the second cycle of secondary school, my lowest score was 93%,” he said.
He expected to perform well in the national examinations but did not anticipate becoming the country’s top student in his category.
“I felt that I could even score more than 93%, but I did not expect to be the best in the country. When I heard the news, I was overwhelmed with joy and wanted to cry. I said, ‘God, thank you,’” he told RBA.
Habumugisha said his success should encourage other people with disabilities to pursue their goals despite obstacles.
“If someone discourages you, do not listen to them. You have to live your life as yourself,” he said.
He now plans to pursue university studies, with journalism and education among the fields he is considering.
His secondary education was supported by Caritas and the school he attended. As he prepares for university, his family and neighbors say additional support will be needed to help him meet the costs and accessibility requirements associated with higher education.
Habumugisha’s achievement comes as Rwanda continues to expand access to education for students with disabilities.
Data from the Ministry of Education show that 43,663 students with disabilities were enrolled in schools during the 2024/25 academic year, up from 42,476 in 2023/24.
More than 800 students with disabilities sat the 2025/26 national secondary school examinations. They were provided with special arrangements and support adapted to their individual disabilities to enable them to take the examinations.
