Rwanda: Why New Education Reforms Target Lower Primary and Upper Secondary?

Starting September 2025, Rwandan schools will roll out sweeping education reforms aimed at overhauling lower primary and upper secondary education. The changes follow a nationwide review of the competency-based curriculum (CBC), which found significant implementation challenges.

According to Dr. Flora Mutezigaju, Deputy Director General of the Rwanda Education Board (REB), one of the biggest hurdles was a mismatch between the curriculum design and the way schools are scheduled.

“While the CBC was built for a single-shift school day of eight periods, more than half of our public and government-aided schools run on a double-shift system,” Dr. Mutezigaju explained.

Data shows 52% of lower primary schools operate on double shifts, where pupils attend only five periods a day, compared to eight in single-shift schools. The result has been incomplete syllabus coverage, poor learning outcomes, and high repetition rates. Many pupils in double-shift schools struggle to master required content, widening the learning gap.

To address this, the Ministry of Education has revised all curriculum support materials—including textbooks, teacher guides, syllabi, and lesson distribution plans—to fit the actual classroom time.

Schools will now open at 8:00 a.m. instead of 8:45 a.m., and the maximum class size will be capped at 50 pupils. Kinyarwanda, Mathematics, and English textbooks will be distributed before the reforms take effect.

Lower primary classes will also benefit from staffing changes: graduates of the Early Childhood and Lower Primary Education (ECLPE) program will teach all subjects, with plans to assign two teachers per class—one for the morning session and one for the afternoon.

Upper Secondary: From Combinations to Pathways

At the upper secondary level, the reforms replace the long-standing “subject combinations” with flexible “learning pathways” designed to give students more choice and align studies with their strengths and career ambitions.

Previously, combinations were unevenly distributed across schools, forcing many students to study subjects that did not match their interests or aptitudes—often leading to poor grades, high dropout rates, and limited career options.

“Allowing students to choose a pathway rather than a rigid combination equips them with a broader skill set and significantly expands their career prospects,” the REB notes.

The new pathways are:

Math and Science Pathway

• Stream 1: Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English, French, Kinyarwanda
• Stream 2: Math, Economics, Geography, Physics, English, French, Kinyarwanda

Arts & Humanities Pathway

History, Literature in English, Geography, Psychology, French, Kinyarwanda, Basic Math

Languages Pathway

English, Kinyarwanda, Kiswahili, French, History, Psychology, Basic Math

Additionally, ICT, Entrepreneurship, General Studies, and Physical Education & Sport will be compulsory for all students in all pathways. National-level exams will cover most subjects, while PE & Sport, General Studies, ICT, and Entrepreneurship will be assessed at the school level.