The Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) has apologized after the student who ranked first nationally in the 2025/2026 Ordinary Level national examinations was not present at the official awards ceremony.
State Minister for Education, Irere Claudette, said there was no deliberate intention to exclude Uwamariya Leontine, who emerged as the top-performing student. She said the incident resulted from an error in the contact information provided by her school and that the ministry had learned important lessons from the case.
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Top Student Misses Awards Ceremony
The controversy arose after Uwamariya Leontine, a student at Institut Sainte Famille de Nyamasheke (ISF Nyamasheke), was absent when the national examination results were announced and awards were presented to top-performing students.
The incident sparked widespread discussion on social media, with some people questioning why the student who ranked first nationally was not present to receive her award.
On Friday, August 21, 2026, Leontine was later brought to the Ministry of Education headquarters, where she received her awards and took photographs with officials, including State Minister Irere Claudette.
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School Recorded Wrong Phone Numbers
Minister Irere explained that the problem resulted from incorrect telephone numbers recorded by the school for the student’s parents.
She said that after Leontine was identified as the top student on August 19, NESA officials began contacting the numbers provided by the school to inform the family about the award ceremony.
“When writing parents’ numbers, the school made a mistake. On August 19, Leontine was the top student. They first called one number, it didn’t exist. They called another, and someone else answered. Our NESA staff asked, ‘Are you the parent of so-and-so?’ The person said yes. They were told the child had passed well and should come for the awards. The person agreed. The staff then called the others.”
According to the Minister, NESA staff contacted the same number again on the day of the ceremony. The person who answered said they could not attend because they were far away.
It was later discovered that the person was not Leontine’s parent and that the number had been mistakenly recorded by the school.
MINEDUC Identifies Lessons From the Incident
Minister Irere said the incident highlighted the need for greater accuracy when recording students’ information.
“When entering student information, one must be careful. That is the first lesson. The second is that it is not enough to call only the parent. Normally we call the student and the parent, but sometimes schools put the school’s number instead of the parent’s. We realized we must go further, informing both the parent and the school, and if necessary the administration.”
She said the ministry would take greater care to ensure that students and their parents are properly informed about important activities, particularly when students are being recognized for outstanding performance.
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Education Ministry Apologizes
Minister Irere apologized to Leontine and her family for the situation, saying the ministry never intended for the top student to miss the ceremony.
“Since this turned into something unpleasant, we apologize. It was not our intention. Our goal was to celebrate the children, to have them recognized by Rwandans and given their results as usual.”
She said the incident should not overshadow Leontine’s achievement or the importance of recognizing students who perform exceptionally well.
Minister Rejects Claims of Discrimination
The Minister also urged the public to stop making negative comments suggesting that Leontine was excluded because she comes from a rural area.
“You know well that the Government of Rwanda does not discriminate. Every child has equal opportunities. What matters is celebrating success, not focusing on whether the child is from Nyamasheke or elsewhere. The emphasis should be on the fact that she succeeded and received what she deserved.”
Leontine was subsequently recognized and received her awards, bringing an end to the immediate controversy surrounding her absence from the original ceremony.
