Rwanda Steps onto Global Education Stage with PISA 2025

Rwanda has joined a small group of African countries participating in one of the world’s most respected education assessments—PISA 2025—with an official launch held in Kigali on Monday.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), coordinated by the OECD, doesn’t just look at what students know. Instead, it measures how well 15-year-olds use their knowledge in real-life situations, testing skills in reading, math, and science. In short, it’s about how learning translates into problem-solving.

More than 7,400 students from 213 schools across Rwanda are set to take part in the study, placing the country among 91 others worldwide—and one of only five on the African continent—in this latest cycle.

At the launch, Minister of Education Joseph Nsengimana said the move reflects Rwanda’s commitment to raising the quality of education across the board.

“Our participation in PISA 2025 reaffirms Rwanda’s commitment to improving learning outcomes,” he said.
“The insights gained from this assessment will be critical in identifying strengths and areas for improvement within our education system.”

One of the participating schools is Camp Kigali School, where excitement is already building.
Jean de Dieu Niyonsenga, the school’s head teacher, said students are ready for the challenge.

“Our students are well-prepared and motivated,” he said.
“Their involvement in past evaluations has shown promising results, and we’re confident they will rise to this challenge.”

PISA runs every three years and is used by governments around the world to better understand how their education systems are performing—what’s working and what’s not. The results often shape education reforms, policies, and even classroom practices.

For Rwanda, this isn’t just about test scores. It’s about gaining clear data to guide improvements and to ensure that what students are learning in school prepares them to adapt, think critically, and compete globally.

The assessments will roll out in the coming period, but Monday’s launch already signals something bigger: a country actively choosing to measure itself against global standards—not out of pressure, but out of purpose.