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Ahead of the 2026/2027 academic year, the Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) has updated its Ordinary Level (S1–S3) textbooks and curriculum support materials, part of a broader effort to keep Lower Secondary education aligned with the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) and the realities of Rwanda’s classrooms.
A Timetable Built for the Real School Day
The textbook update comes alongside a revised weekly structure for Lower Secondary. <cite index=”23-1″>The new S1–S3 timetable for 2026–2027 provides a comprehensive weekly learning structure with 53 contact periods, balancing academic subjects such as Mathematics, Sciences, Languages, and Humanities with ICT, Entrepreneurship, Physical Education, and co-curricular activities.</cite> <cite index=”23-1″>The timetable also schedules Continuous Professional Development (CPD) every Friday afternoon, giving teachers dedicated time to plan and adapt their use of the updated materials.</cite> <cite index=”23-1″>It forms part of a wider set of revised weekly timetables covering Pre-Primary, Primary, General Education, and Professional Education.</cite>
Content and Access
REB continues to publish Ordinary Level textbooks by subject and grade, covering all core S1–S3 subjects, with materials organized specifically to prepare learners for national examinations. <cite index=”1-1″>Through its e-Learning platform, REB provides free access to official textbooks and learning materials for every level, including a dedicated O’Level category for Senior 1 to Senior 3, aligned with the national curriculum and competency-based learning. </cite>
Part of a Wider Secondary Reform
The Ordinary Level update sits within a larger set of changes REB has introduced across secondary education. <cite index=”25-1″>According to REB’s Deputy Director General, curriculum support materials including textbooks, teacher guides, syllabi, and lesson distribution plans have been revised because many schools could not fit the original CBC design, built for a single-shift school day, into the double-shift schedules that over half of Rwanda’s schools actually run.</cite> That mismatch had been linked to incomplete syllabus coverage and higher repetition rates, making this revision cycle as much about pacing and deliverability as content.
For Ordinary Level teachers and students, the 2026/2027 update means textbooks, guides, and timetables that better match actual instructional time and continue to reinforce CBC’s competency-based approach skills applied to real situations rather than memorized facts. As schools prepare to open for the new academic year, the priority now is ensuring every S1–S3 classroom has the updated materials in hand from day one.
Here are those textbooks as follow
Senior 1
