On Tuesday, September 12, around noon, Kelie Umutoniwase was at her grandmother’s home in Nyamasheke District, where she had gone to spend the holiday, when her mother called to break the news of her superb results in the O-Level national exams for the academic year 2022-2023.
In Umutoniwase’s words, her face lit up with joy, astonishment, and excitement upon hearing the news.
The 17-year-old ex-student of Fawe Girls School in Gasabo achieved an aggregate score of 54 out of 54, earning a distinction in all subjects, including Kinyarwanda, Chemistry, Biology and Health Science, Entrepreneurship, English, Physics, Geography and Environment, History and Citizenship, and Mathematics.
“As my mother was listening to the radio, she heard my name being mentioned among the best five performers. She couldn’t hold her joy, so she called me immediately,” she told The New Times.
Umutoniwase was astonished, because although she revised her books extensively, and expected to pass, but never imagined she would top the rest. This, she believed, was because there were other students reading just as much, or even more.
Reason for her success
Umutoniwase explained that the school library was always open for candidates to go and revise, and the computer lab was accessible for anyone who wanted to carry out research.
“I appreciate my classmates for the teamwork because we always shared information with each other after personal reading,” Umutoniwase stated.
She thanked her teachers for finishing the syllabus in the second term, which allowed for additional time for revision. She also credited her success to the teachers being available on weekends to answer any questions.
