Figures released by the National Council of Persons with Disabilities in Rwanda show a significant gap in the rights of persons with disabilities to education and civil registration. The data indicates that 17,302 children with disabilities are not attending school although they should be, while 34,830 others aged 16 are not registered in civil status records, highlighting a major information gap within the wider community of persons with disabilities.
As the week dedicated to persons with disabilities begins and continues until December 3, NCPD announced that these figures will be used to highlight the existing gap in children’s rights and to establish measures to return them to school across all districts of the country. Ndayisaba Emmanuel, The Executive Secretary of NCPD,said that the new system developed aims to identify where these children are and support their reintegration into schools. He said
“In the system we have built, we have already located children with disabilities who are not in school but should be. We want to use it to ensure that these children are traced in all districts and returned to school.”
Ndayisaba added that having so many children out of school represents a loss for the country, noting that some persons with disabilities who have had access to education have excelled and contribute significantly to their families and the nation.
Figures from June 2025 from a national survey on persons with disabilities also show a gap in general information regarding their living conditions. Among the 562,184 persons with disabilities in the country, 17.7 percent (99,462) have insufficient data available, while 0.3 percent (783) also lack adequate information about their lives. This indicates that the issue of missing data on unregistered children mirrors the broader information gaps affecting adults with disabilities.
The National Union of Disability Organisations in Rwanda (NUDOR) notes that the mindset of some parents remains a major obstacle preventing children with disabilities from attending school. Vuningabo Emile, the Programme Manager at NUDOR, said that low awareness among some parents limits children’s access to education. He stated
“Some parents still have a limited mindset and believe that a child with a disability should not go to school.”
He urged parents to change their perception, emphasizing that children with disabilities can excel academically and professionally and contribute to the country’s development. Vuningabo noted that 540 children with disabilities have completed technical and vocational studies and received equipment enabling them to start income-generating activities.
During the week dedicated to persons with disabilities, discussions on inclusive education led by the Rwanda Basic Education Board, radio and television programmes, and various activities at sector and district levels are planned to raise awareness about the lives of persons with disabilities and to encourage families to support them.
