Rwanda’s Parliament has raised concerns over unequal access to textbooks and the growing number of computers in schools that are no longer working, warning that the problems could affect the quality of education.
The concerns were raised on October 20, 2026, during a meeting between the parliamentary committee overseeing education, technology, sports and culture and the Ministry of Education.
The committee reviewed findings from audit reports covering the Rwanda Education Board (REB) and the Rwanda TVET Board (RTB) over three years.
The latest report, covering the 2024/2025 financial year, found that access to textbooks remained limited in many schools, despite government investments in learning materials.
An audit of 43 selected schools found that only 29 per cent of primary school pupils and 49 per cent of secondary school students had access to textbooks.
Auditor General Kamuhire Alexis told lawmakers that the government had supplied more than three million textbooks to primary and secondary schools between 2022 and 2025, but the books were not being used effectively.
The report also highlighted delays in delivering textbooks to schools. More than one million books for pre-primary, primary and secondary education, worth over Rwf1.4 billion, were received between March and August 2025 but were still in storage during an inspection in April 2026.
Of these books, 61 per cent had been in storage for eight months, while the remaining 39 per cent had been held for more than a year.
Lawmakers questioned how textbooks were allocated, pointing to disparities in access among schools.
MP Mukandekezi Francois said some schools had more than 280 students sharing one textbook, while others had only eight students per book.
“What criteria do you use to distribute these textbooks to schools?” she asked.
Education Minister Joseph Nsengimana said measures were being taken to address the distribution challenges.
Concerns over broken computers in schools
Lawmakers also raised questions about computers supplied under the One Laptop Per Child programme and the smart classrooms initiative, with some devices reportedly stolen or no longer functional.
According to the Ministry of Education, more than 120,000 computers are available in laboratories across 1,478 schools nationwide. An additional 200,000 XO computers were initially distributed under the One Laptop Per Child programme.
Members of Parliament warned that limited access to functioning computers could leave some students completing their education without adequate digital skills.
Nsengimana said the ministry, its affiliated institutions and partners were working to improve the repair and maintenance of school computers.
He said the Rwanda Education Board had introduced guidelines to ensure that faulty devices could be repaired and returned to schools more quickly.
The minister added that bringing repair services closer to district authorities was expected to reduce delays and help schools restore the use of damaged computers.
