When Uwineza Julienne left secondary school in Senior 4 — one year before completing the O Level cycle — she never imagined she would get a second chance. Marriage came, then three children, and the world of classrooms and textbooks felt like it belonged to someone else's life. Then she saw her name on a government list. She read it twice. She wept.
📋 Programme at a Glance
- Programme: National School Dropout Return Initiative — government-supported second chance education
- Partner: Imbuto Foundation
- District: Nyagatare District — 167 dropouts selected and approved
- Outcome: Successful candidates receive an O Level (secondary) certificate; those who score university entry marks can continue to higher education
- Childcare support: A nursery facility will be set up so parents can attend classes while their children are cared for on site
- Eligibility: Must have completed O Level (Senior 3); must be 35 years old or younger
- How to apply: Online portal open to all eligible applicants
A Name on a List That Changed Everything
Uwineza Julienne had stopped believing that education was still possible for her. She had left school during Senior 4 of secondary school — not because she wanted to, but because circumstances had carried her in a different direction. Early marriage, the responsibilities of motherhood, three young children to care for. The years passed. The idea of returning to school faded from possibility to memory.
Then came the announcement. The Rwandan government, in partnership with Imbuto Foundation, had opened a programme specifically designed to give school dropouts a second chance — a structured pathway back into education that would lead to a recognised secondary school certificate and, for those who scored high enough, a route to university. Applications were invited. Uwineza applied. And when the list of successful applicants was released, her name was on it.
"When I heard that I was among those allowed to return to school, I was so happy that I even cried — tears of joy. I stopped school not by my own choice, and I felt that my education was over forever. Now I am going to study with full determination, in a way that I must get my certificate and continue to university." — Uwineza Julienne
She paused, then added something that speaks to a feeling shared by many Rwandans who were forced out of school early: "This is a second chance, and I am grateful to our government for thinking of us. I must make the most of it and not waste it. I believe in myself — I know I can do this, because even when I was studying before, I used to pass. I was only derailed by circumstances that brought me problems."
The Programme: A Government Commitment to Those Left Behind
The school dropout return programme is part of Rwanda's broader national commitment to ensuring that no citizen is permanently excluded from education due to circumstances beyond their control. It acknowledges a reality that has long existed in Rwandan communities: that early marriage, teenage pregnancy, family poverty, and other life disruptions have caused thousands of capable, motivated young people — disproportionately women — to leave school before completing their education.
The programme is delivered in partnership with Imbuto Foundation, the charitable organisation chaired by First Lady Jeannette Kagame, which has long focused on girls' education, health, and social development in Rwanda. Participants are enrolled in different subject streams and will sit formal examinations at the end of the programme. Those who pass will receive a nationally recognised O Level (Senior 6 equivalent) certificate. Those who score marks qualifying for university entrance will be eligible to continue their education at higher level.
Edith Batamuriza, in charge of education in Nyagatare District, explained the structure of the programme and the role of Imbuto Foundation in supporting its delivery.
"Students in the various streams will sit examinations. Those who pass will receive a secondary school certificate. Those who score university entry marks will be able to continue further." — Edith Batamuriza, Education Officer, Nyagatare District
Nyagatare District: 167 Second Chances Granted
In Nyagatare District alone, 167 school dropouts applied for and were accepted into the programme. That number represents 167 individual stories — each one a person who left school before finishing, who carried that incompleteness with them through years of adult life, and who now has a structured, supported opportunity to close that chapter properly.
The district administration has been explicit about the expectations placed on participants. This is not simply a gift — it is a responsibility.
"Those selected for this national programme to resume studies should not waste the opportunity their country has given them. They are adults who understand why they returned to school and what they lost by not finishing. We ask them to apply themselves fully and make the most of this chance — not to let it slip through their fingers." — Murekatete Juliet, Deputy District Mayor for Social Affairs, Nyagatare
Murekatete also highlighted a practical barrier that the programme has specifically addressed — one that would otherwise prevent many of the participants, particularly mothers like Uwineza, from attending classes consistently.
Childcare on Site: Removing the Last Barrier for Mothers
For many women who dropped out of school due to early marriage or pregnancy, returning to education as a mother presents an immediate logistical challenge: who looks after the children while their mother is in class? Without an answer to that question, even the most motivated parent cannot attend school consistently.
Nyagatare District has addressed this directly. A small childcare facility — a crèche — will be established at the study site so that parents attending classes can have their young children cared for on the same premises during school hours. This means that a mother like Uwineza does not have to choose between her education and her children. She can do both, at the same time, in the same place.
This detail is significant beyond its immediate practicality. It reflects a sophisticated understanding of why women in particular drop out of education — and why they struggle to return. Rwanda has made enormous strides in girls' education and gender equality, but the structural barriers that flow from early motherhood remain real. A crèche at a school for returning adult learners is a small intervention with potentially large consequences for the women who need it.
Who Can Apply: Eligibility and How to Register
The programme is not limited to Nyagatare District — it is a national initiative, and applications are accepted through an online portal that is open to all eligible Rwandans.
- Educational level:Must have completed O Level (Senior 3 / ordinary level secondary education) — meaning applicants who left school before finishing Senior 6
- Age:Must be 35 years old or younger at the time of application
The age limit of 35 years is designed to target adults who are still young enough to benefit significantly from completing their secondary education and potentially continuing to university or technical training. It also reflects the reality that most school dropouts in Rwanda left school in their teens or early twenties, meaning the programme reaches the majority of those affected.
Why This Programme Matters: The Wider Picture
Rwanda's school dropout return initiative sits within a broader national recognition that education interrupted is not education lost — and that the country cannot afford to permanently write off the potential of citizens who were forced out of school by circumstances rather than by choice.
MINEDUC's own data, released at the same time as this programme was gaining attention, shows that Rwanda currently has a 92% school attendance rate but only a 61% age-appropriate grade progression rate. Thousands of students are in school but significantly behind where they should be for their age — and thousands more never made it back after dropping out. The school dropout return programme directly addresses the second group: the ones who left and never returned.
The economic argument for the programme is also compelling. Adults with completed secondary education earn more, contribute more in taxes, are healthier, have fewer children, and raise children who themselves do better in school. Every person who completes their education through this second-chance programme generates returns — for themselves, for their families, and for Rwanda — that far outweigh the cost of providing it.
Uwineza's Message to Others Who Gave Up
For the thousands of Rwandans who dropped out of school and have since assumed that the door was closed to them, Uwineza Julienne's story carries a direct and personal message: check again. The door has been reopened.
She is a mother of three who left school in Senior 4 under circumstances she did not choose. She is now preparing for class, setting her goals, and telling anyone who will listen that she intends to reach university. She cried when she saw her name on the list — not from sadness, but from relief. The kind of relief that comes when something you had quietly given up on is suddenly, unexpectedly, given back to you.
Rwanda's second-chance education programme is not just a policy. For Uwineza, and for the 166 others selected in Nyagatare District alone, it is a turning point.
If you or someone you know dropped out of school and meets the eligibility criteria — completed O Level, aged 35 or under — you are encouraged to apply through the government's online portal. News Within will continue to follow this programme and report on the journeys of those participating in it. Write to us at newswithinblog@gmail.com.
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