Despite government efforts Rwanda has one of the highest repetition efforts even in Africa, and no doubt ongoing sectarian violence has contributed to this. The school language of instruction is Kinyarwanda at primary level, and then French and English thereafter, and at University too. The period spent at primary school is nominally 6 years.
According to the 2010 revison of the World Population Prospects the total population was 10 624 000 in 2010, compared to only 2 072 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 42.6%, 54.7% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 2.7% was 65 years or older .
Known as the land of 1,000 hills, this country couldn't be further from the cliched African image of arid deserts and dry bush. Winding roads hug verdant slopes, every inch carved into fields with crops ranging from banana trees to maize. In the valleys are great sweeping tea plantations, rice fields and coffee groves.