The lecture rooms had fallen quiet inside at G.S. Filippo Smaldone in Nyarugenge after days of Main Leaving Examinations (PLE) strain. Exterior, dialog continued in a language of expressive fingers and heat smiles.
Seated on a bench in entrance of their classroom at G.S. Filippo Smaldone in Nyarugenge, Akhibaru Mugengasaye and his classmate, Cynthia Umuganwa, animatedly exchanged ideas in signal language, reflecting on exams that had simply accomplished
It's round 11:30 a.m., solely a short time after the ultimate examination papers had been handed in. From a distance, their instructor watched over them, permitting the 2 pals a second to relive the expertise they shared.
Each Mugengasaye and Umuganwa are individuals with listening to and talking impairments and have been among the many candidates who sat the nationwide examinations, which concluded on July 9.
Interviews with the pair required the help of their instructor, Sister Valentine Dushimirimana, who interpreted their responses into spoken language for the reporter.
For Mugengasaye, the examinations have been much less daunting than he had anticipated. By Sister Dushimirimana's interpretation, he defined that the papers have been usually manageable.
“The exams have been comparatively simple,” he mentioned via Dushimirimana, the instructor at G.S. Filippo Smaldone who served as an indication language interpreter in the course of the interview.
Mugengasaye recalled how every examination session started with a prayer, a routine that helped calm the candidates earlier than they settled down to jot down.
“We began each examination with a prayer and acquired clear directions from our signal language interpreter earlier than we began every examination, whereas different directions have been clearly written on the examination papers,” he mentioned.
Mugengasaye is one in every of 928 candidates with particular instructional wants who sat the 2025/26 Main Leaving Examinations.
About 60 per cent of the candidates are women, in accordance with the Nationwide Examination and College Inspection Authority (NESA).
He mentioned that some exams required extra time and vitality to complete. In truth, candidates of particular instructional wants who sat PLE got particular consideration therapy.
“Each Arithmetic and Kinyarwanda have been exhausting. Arithmetic requires extra pondering, whereas Kinyarwanda is all the time exhausting for us as deaf folks,” he added.
“I wanted extra time within the Kinyarwanda examination as a result of it requires extra studying and understanding of the textual content, which I couldn’t full on time, so I used further time to complete,” he provides.
Mugengasaye hopes that he performs properly in all of the exams and desires of learning languages at Superior Stage earlier than specializing in languages in order that he can change into a college language lecturer.
“I’m grateful that I used to be allowed to take a seat the nationwide examinations and that I used to be given further time to finish them. It helped me assume correctly and do the exams with none strain. I hope it provides worth to what I did. I’m optimistic that I did properly and can move,” he mentioned.
Umuganwa, 15, who additionally has a listening to and talking impairment, mentioned the Kinyarwanda examination was robust and took her further time to finish.
“Kinyarwanda was the hardest examination,” she mentioned. “I couldn’t end it on time. I needed to learn the textual content many instances to grasp it and reply the questions. I additionally wanted extra clarification and steering from my signal language interpreter, which required extra time,” she says.
“I additionally required extra time in Arithmetic and I hope I did properly in all of the exams, due to the assist I acquired from my lecturers, who put in additional effort to arrange me for the exams and be sure that I received all of the assist I wanted,” she provides, noting that she desires to change into a medical physician after finishing college.
At GS HVP Gatagara in Rwamagana District, Samuel Ndayisaba, who’s visually impaired, sat the examinations and was allowed three hours as an alternative of the same old two hours allotted to candidates with out disabilities.
He used a Perkins machine, which blind and partially sighted individuals use to jot down in Braille.
“The exams are set in Braille, which suggests we obtain extra papers than these utilizing bizarre printed papers. It additionally requires extra time to undergo them and sort utilizing the Perkins machine,” he mentioned.
“I’d not have been capable of end the exams in two hours, and I used to be glad that I had further time, which allowed me to focus extra and do the exams with none strain,” he mentioned.
Braille is a tactile writing system of raised dots that permits blind and visually impaired people to learn and write via contact, whereas a Perkins machine is used to kind in Braille.
Lecturers offered required assist
Placide Uwiringiyimana Kaberuka, Deputy Head Trainer in command of Research at GS HVP Gatagara, mentioned college students with visible impairments are given one further hour to finish their examinations, permitting them to pay attention higher.
“College students with low imaginative and prescient have been additionally supplied with large-print examination papers in order that they might learn extra simply, whereas these utilizing Braille continued to reply in Braille. This makes it simpler for learners with low imaginative and prescient than relying solely on Braille,” he mentioned.
“It is a good initiative launched by the Ministry of Training as a result of it provides college students sufficient time to finish their examinations,” he added.
Sister Dushimirimana, a instructor at G.S. Filippo Smaldone in Nyarugenge District, hailed the federal government for the assist offered to learners with particular instructional wants, stressing that they require extra consideration than others.
Throughout the Main Leaving Examinations, she mentioned, learners are supplied with signal language interpreters who help them, and they’re additionally given further time to finish their exams.
“Learners with listening to and talking impairments take extra time to assume as a result of they achieve this in signal language earlier than translating their ideas into different languages. They due to this fact require extra time, particularly in examinations that contain studying lengthy texts,” she mentioned.
“We supported them in the course of the examinations by giving unwritten directions, whereas they might learn the written ones. We additionally assisted those that wanted extra time and allowed them to complete their exams,” she added.
Official communicate out
Training officers mentioned every candidate is facilitated in accordance with their particular person wants.
Assist contains using large-print examination papers, Braille supplies, further time, signal language interpreters, assistive know-how, examination scribes, assistant individuals, and different applicable assist companies.
“Some candidates use Braille, others require enlarged examination papers as a result of they’ve low imaginative and prescient, whereas others want completely different types of assistive assist,” Minister of Training Joseph Nsengimana informed the media in the course of the launch of the examination interval on Tuesday at Groupe Scolaire Remera Catholique in Gasabo District.
“We’ve labored with examination centres to make sure these learners obtain the facilitation they should sit the examinations correctly,” he added.
