Delays in the delivery of exam materials caused thousands of candidates to write their papers late into the night, disrupting the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in multiple states.
The results revealed that candidates in some areas of the states of Oyo, Lagos, and Osun were compelled to take exams on Wednesday and Thursday in dimly lit areas due to the delayed delivery of question papers and answer sheets.
The Lekki axis of Lagos State, Osogbo in Osun State, and Ibadan, Iseyin, and Oyo towns in Oyo State were the worst affected, with some centers allegedly not receiving exam materials.
The Agriculture Science Practical exam was scheduled to start on Thursday, but candidates were left waiting for hours.
Some Oyo State centers had yet to start the exercise by 8 p.m., even though the first batch was supposed to start at 2 p.m. and the second batch was supposed to start at 3:30 p.m.
The General Mathematics Objective paper on Wednesday showed a similar delay; some candidates reportedly started writing as late as 6:30 p.m., while others started around 8:30 p.m. and didn’t finish until after 10 p.m.
Another parent in Lagos recounted that her child returned home around 10 pm after writing the Wednesday paper.
“My child returned home around 10 pm on Wednesday,” she said.
Despite knowing that the security of our country is already fragile, it is disheartening to see that our examiners still insist on keeping students late into the night for exams. This practice not only endangers the safety of our children but also disrupts their well-being and normal routine.
I strongly believe that arrangements should be made to ensure that exam papers are delivered early, allowing students to write their exams at the appropriate time and finish early enough to return home safely. Exams should never be scheduled in the middle of the night, as precautions and the safety of our children should always come first.
