Leontine Uwamariya is a Rwandan student who gained national prominence in August 2026 after outperforming all other students in the country in the national examinations concluding the Ordinary Level (O-Level of secondary education for the 2025/2026 academic year, achieving a score of 98.7%. She studied at ISF Nyamasheke, located in Western Rwanda. https://rumble.com/c/c-7949674
Reports indicate that Uwamariya initially missed the awards ceremony honoring top performers in the O-Level national exams due to travel and communication challenges; however, she was subsequently located and presented with her awards by the Ministry of Education. She did not appear at the initial awards ceremony due to communication obstacles and delays in receiving information and travel details regarding the event—issues later explained by MINEDUC. A few days later, she was officially received by the Minister of State in MINEDUC, Claudette Irere, and was presented with her awards as well as the opportunity to continue her studies at the Rwanda Coding Academy.
The people who attended the ceremony of awarding her
Her story attracted significant attention because, on the day the results were officially announced (August 20, 2026), she did not appear among the students receiving awards in Kigali. This sparked a heated debate on social media.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) explained that a technical error occurred when entering her phone number into the system, which meant that education officials were unable to reach her by phone.
After she was located, on August 21, 2026, the Minister of State in charge of ICT and TVET at MINEDUC, Claudette Irere, and the Director General of NESA, Dr. Bernard Bahati, officially received her and presented her with prizes, including a computer, a certificate of merit, and school supplies.
Uwamariya stated that she aspires to become an expert in computer programming and technology. As result of this, she was given a new school she was granted the opportunity to immediately continue her studies at the Rwanda Coding Academy (RCA), a model school located in Nyabihu.
Jordan: Recent reports also indicate that she has been offered an opportunity to study in Jordan.
Here is what happened before she went to study at RCA The State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Irere Claudette, announced that the issue regarding student Uwamariya Léontine—who tied for first place in the national exams concluding the Ordinary Level of secondary education—has been resolved after she was absent from the awards ceremony honoring top-performing students.
Uwamariya Léontine (from ISF Nyamasheke) and Musonga Isimbi Orah (formerly of FAWE Girls School) shared the top spot in the 2025/2026 national exams for the Ordinary Level, both scoring 98.7%. Following the release of the results, questions circulated on social media regarding why Uwamariya Léontine, despite ranking first, did not appear among the students who received awards at the ceremony held in Kigali. On the evening of Friday, August 21, 2026, it was reported that Léontine had been located and presented with her awards, which included a computer, one year’s worth of school fees, and a certificate of merit.
Irere Claudette explained the circumstances.
In an interview with Rwanda Television this Saturday, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Claudette Irere, addressed this issue and explained why the student had not appeared at the awards ceremony. She explained that on August 19, they began contacting the top performers; when they called the number for Léontine Uwamariya, someone answered and was informed of the schedule, but stated that she was in Karongi and too far away to attend.
This clarification came amidst ongoing speculation on social media regarding whether Uwamariya’s absence from the ceremony was linked to a specific problem.
However, the Ministry of Education later announced that the matter had been resolved, and Uwamariya received her awards as a student who had tied for first place nationwide.
High-performing students are set to be placed in schools. During the interview, Claudette Irere also discussed preparations for the 2026/2027 academic year, following the release of the national exam results for primary and Ordinary Level (O-Level) education.
She explained that the release of results is the step preceding the process of placing students in the schools where they will continue their education.
He stated: “When we release the results, we are prepared for the next phase regarding boarding facilities.”
He pointed out that the capacity to accommodate boarding students remains low compared to the number of students who performed well.
Regarding primary education, he noted that only about 7% of students secure places in boarding schools, whereas the figure is approximately 40% for those completing Ordinary Level. He further mentioned that while over 200,000 primary school students performed well, the capacity of schools to admit boarding students into Senior One is only around 17,000.
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Additional data shows that this year, 243,958 students were placed in secondary schools; of these, 17,412 were assigned to boarding schools, while 225,546 will attend as day scholars.
I dedicate you this song“Yesu Ulishinda” or you may The fluent English speaker-Nathalie Wambui from Kenya.
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