The Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) has awarded Leontine Uwamariya, who tied for first place in Rwanda’s national Tronc Commun (Ordinary Level) examinations, after an administrative error prevented her from receiving her award at the official ceremony.
Uwamariya, a student at ISF Nyamasheke, scored 98.7%, matching the result achieved by Musonga Isimbi Olla of Fawe Girls’ School. The two students emerged as the joint top performers in the examinations.
However, when MINEDUC held a ceremony to recognise outstanding students on August 20, only Musonga received her award, while Uwamariya was absent.
Her absence quickly attracted attention on social media, with questions raised over why the ministry had been unable to locate a student who had achieved the country’s highest score, particularly through alternative contacts such as her school or local authorities.
MINEDUC initially explained that officials had been unable to reach Uwamariya by telephone. The ministry later clarified that her contact details had been incorrectly recorded in the Student Data Management System (SDMS).
State Minister for Education Claudette Irere said the ministry had no intention of excluding Uwamariya from the awards ceremony and described the incident as an error involving the recording of telephone numbers.
“There is no way we could tell someone that you came first but should not come to receive your award. That is not possible and that is not how we work,” Irere said.
On Friday, August 21, MINEDUC invited Uwamariya to Kigali and formally presented her with the awards she had missed the previous day.
She arrived at the ministry accompanied by her parent, Nyamasheke District Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs Mukankusi Athanasie and the head of ISF Nyamasheke.
Uwamariya received her awards from Irere in the presence of NESA Director General Dr Bahati Bernard.
In addition to her awards, Uwamariya was given an opportunity to continue her studies at Rwanda Coding Academy in Nyabihu District, a specialised school focused on technology and computing.
She said she was pleased with the opportunity, noting that studying at Rwanda Coding Academy would help her pursue her ambition of becoming a technology specialist and motivate her to achieve even more in her education.
The incident has highlighted the importance of accurate student records and reliable communication systems in the administration of national examinations and the recognition of outstanding students.
