Data from the Ministry of Education shows that the number of lecturers with PhDs increased from 1,091 in 2023/2024 to 1,360 in 2024/2025, representing a 24.6% increase in one year.
Of the 1,360 lecturers with PhDs, 1,144 were men and only 216 were women. Women therefore accounted for 15.9% of lecturers with PhDs, compared with 84.1% for men.
Despite the wide gender gap, the number of women with PhDs has generally increased over the past five years.
There were 141 women with PhDs in 2020/2021, rising to 162 in 2021/2022 and 179 in 2022/2023, before falling slightly to 169 in 2023/2024. The number then rose to 216 in 2024/2025.
This represents an increase of 47 women, or nearly 28%, in one year.
Among men, the number of PhD holders increased from 922 in 2023/2024 to 1,144 in 2024/2025.
Overall, the number of lecturers with PhDs increased from 976 in 2020/2021 to 1,360 in 2024/2025. However, women’s share of lecturers with PhDs grew only modestly, from 14% to 15.9% over the same period.
The gender gap is not limited to lecturers with PhDs.
In 2024/2025, universities and higher learning institutions in Rwanda had 5,463 lecturers, including 4,283 men and 1,180 women. Women accounted for 21.6% of all lecturers, while men represented 78.4%.
There has nevertheless been progress compared with previous years. In 2020/2021, women accounted for 809 of the 4,301 lecturers, or 18.8%. Their number had increased to 1,180 by 2024/2025, raising their share to 21.6%.
Public higher learning institutions had 2,517 lecturers, including 539 women, representing 21.4%. Private institutions had 2,946 lecturers, of whom 641, or 21.8%, were women.
Most lecturers hold Master’s degrees
The report shows that while the number of PhD holders is increasing, Master’s degree holders make up the largest group of university lecturers.
In 2024/2025, 2,935 lecturers, or 53.7% of the total, held Master’s degrees. They included 2,265 men and 670 women.
PhD holders numbered 1,360, accounting for nearly a quarter of all lecturers. Another 936 lecturers held Bachelor’s degrees, including 683 men and 253 women, while 232 had qualifications below Bachelor’s degree level.
The Ministry of Education says the rise in the number of lecturers with PhDs reflects continued efforts by academics to advance their educational qualifications.
However, the low number of women reaching PhD level remains an area requiring greater support to enable more women to pursue advanced studies.
The increase in PhD holders came as the overall number of lecturers at universities and higher learning institutions also grew.
The number of lecturers rose from 4,577 in 2023/2024 to 5,463 in 2024/2025, an increase of 886 lecturers, or 19.3% in one year.
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