BUBANZA/KIRUNDO/KAYANZA/MAKAMBA/BURURI, May 28 (ABP) – The taking of the national exam for the 9th grade of basic school, which began on Monday, May 26, 2025 and to end on the 28th of the same month, generally proceeded smoothly.
In Bubanza province (northwest Burundi), the national exam started without any issues. A total of 2,968 students were expected to take the exam across 35 centers, with 137 supervisors, according to the provincial education directorate (DPE).
Contacted by ABP, the provincial education director (DPE) Claude Badugaritse indicated that candidates had been well prepared with six practice tests: three at the commune level, two within school networks, and one at the provincial level. Authorities aim for Bubanza province to rank among the top five, and the DPE remains optimistic about achieving this. He called on the pupils who were then taking the exam, to work calmly and treat that exam as a routine test. He also stressed the importance of following instructions and maintaining discipline.
It’s worth mentioning that Bubanza province ranked 9th in last year’s national exam, the 2023-2024 edition.
In Kirundo province, at the Kanyinya basic school in Kirundo commune, the center supervisor reported that out of 157 expected students, 154 were present. According to the provincial director of education in Kirundo, Leocadie Mukaporona, 2,861 students were expected across the entire Kirundo province, including 1,392 girls and 1,469 boys in 49 exam centers.
She added that there are 121 schools offering 9th grade classes throughout Kirundo province.
Furthermore, 51 students were absent on the examination day, 25 girls and 26 boys, with most absences resulting from school dropouts, the provincial director of education specified.
Mukaporona offered advice to students, urging them especially not to neglect this exam, which will serve as an orientation for the remainder of their school life.
In the Kayanza education district (north), the national exam for 9th grade, which grants access to post-basic education, was launched by the chief of staff to the governor of Kayanza at the Kayanza Communal Technical High School. Addressing the students, the governor’s chief of staff Justine Komezadusabe asked them to stay calm and not be disoriented by any attempts at cheating.
At this center, seven absences, four girls and three boys, were recorded out of a total of 150 expected candidates. At the exam center located at ECOFO Kirema, there was one recorded absence due to expulsion among the 151 expected candidates. At the exam center of ECOFO Muruta in the Muruta education commune, one absence was noted, along with one student who appeared twice on the list of 79 expected candidates.
In an interview with the local press, the director of the Kayanza education district Juvénal Mbonihankuye, expressed satisfaction that the exam had started well despite some irregularities reported in the Kayanza and Matongo education communes, which were promptly resolved. He pointed out that the provincial supervisor had only delivered one page out of two for the humanities subject in the Kayanza commune, while in Matongo commune, 80 answer sheets were missing. Overall, he said, the national exam began at 8 a.m. throughout the province.
Note that the exam took place in 59 centers across the education district under the supervision of 199 teachers.
In Makamba province, no problems were reported on the first day of the 9th-grade national exam.
According to information from the provincial education directorate, 5,048 candidates are expected to take the exam. These students come from 201 schools and are distributed across 62 exam centers.
At the Nyanza-Lac Technical High School center, where 216 candidates from five schools, ECOFO Bogogwa, Kigembezi, Nyanza-Lac II, Saint Germain, and Lycée Technique Our Home School were expected, seven absences due to dropouts were recorded. Meanwhile, at the Free Methodist Church exam center, two candidates were absent out of 91 expected, a check on site by ABP revealed.
The national exam also started well in Bururi province. The exam began almost everywhere on time except at the Mubuga exam center in the Gasanda zone of Bururi commune, where the vehicle transporting the exam materials did not arrive due to impassable roads. School officials resorted to using motorcycles to deliver the exam papers. At the Kajabure exam center in the same Gasanda zone, 74 missing exam sheets were noted.
Within the Bururi Provincial Education Directorate (DCE), 26 absences were recorded, including 25 cases of school dropouts and one of permanent expulsion. It’s worth noting that the total number of expected candidates in Bururi province was 4,921 students, spread across 69 exam centers with 136 supervisors.