7,188 students face investigation over suspected cheating in Rwanda’s national exams

By The Inspirer.

Rwanda’s Ministry of Education has withheld the examination results of 7,188 students suspected of involvement in examination malpractice during the 2025/26 national examinations, as investigations continue.

The cases involve students who sat the Primary Leaving Examinations and Ordinary Level examinations. Their results were not released on August 20, when the results of other candidates were announced.

Education Minister Joseph Nsengimana confirmed the figure on August 28, saying the results were withheld to allow authorities to investigate the allegations and establish what happened in each case.

Nsengimana said the investigations are taking time because of the number of cases and the need to ensure that students are not unfairly penalised.

“There are many students suspected of cheating. We do not want to rush the process and risk wrongfully penalising a student,” he said.

The minister said the investigations are expected to be completed by August 31, after which the affected students will receive their results.

How suspected cheating is detected

Dr Bahati Bernard, Director General of the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA), said suspected examination malpractice is identified both during examinations and during the marking process.

Some candidates are caught with prohibited materials, including mobile phones or papers containing answers.

Other cases emerge during marking, when examiners identify unusual similarities in candidates’ responses, including groups of students giving exactly the same incorrect answers.

Bahati said such patterns can trigger further investigations to determine whether examination malpractice occurred.

Investigation does not mean automatic guilt

Authorities have stressed that being suspected of cheating does not automatically mean that a student has been found guilty.

The cases must first be investigated before a final decision is made. This is also why the results of the affected candidates have been withheld rather than immediately cancelled.

Students ultimately found guilty will face sanctions under the regulations governing national examinations.

The investigation may also involve teachers, invigilators and other individuals suspected of facilitating examination malpractice. Authorities have warned that anyone found to have helped candidates cheat could face disciplinary and legal consequences.

More than 425,000 candidates sat the exams

The cases come after more than 425,000 candidates sat Rwanda’s Primary Leaving and Ordinary Level national examinations for the 2025/26 academic year.

A total of 276,679 candidates sat the Primary Leaving Examinations, with an overall pass rate of 88.21%, while 149,015 candidates took the Ordinary Level examinations, recording an 85.70% pass rate.

The education authorities say the ongoing investigations are intended to protect the integrity of national examinations while ensuring that students who may not have committed any wrongdoing are not unfairly penalised.