Students across Lagos State faced extraordinary circumstances on Wednesday as they were forced to write their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) English Language paper under torchlight as late as 11:45 pm, following severe delays in the examination process.
The examination, originally scheduled to commence at 9:00 am, was postponed for several hours at numerous centers throughout Lagos, including Birrel Avenue Senior High School in Sabo-Yaba, Eva Adelaja Senior Girls Secondary School in Bariga, and Oke-Ira Senior Grammar School in Ogba.
Parents were seen waiting anxiously outside school gates well into the night while their exhausted children remained inside examination halls, attempting to complete their papers under inadequate lighting conditions.
"My daughter didn't finish until almost 12:00 am," said Mrs. Fausat Olaniyi, a concerned parent who waited outside the Bariga examination center for hours. "No explanation, no apology. Just stress and confusion. This is inhuman."
Paper Leak Prompts Last-Minute Replacement
According to reports, the unprecedented delay resulted from an alleged leak of the English Language paper online, forcing the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to hastily reprint and redistribute new question papers on short notice.
The disruption was not confined to Lagos alone. Similar chaotic scenes were reported in other states including Oyo, Ogun, Benue, and Osun, indicating a nationwide examination crisis.
In a statement released late Wednesday, Moyosola Adesina, Acting Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, apologized to affected candidates, parents, and schools for the inconvenience caused by the delays.
"While we successfully maintained the integrity of the examination, it impacted the timeliness and seamless conduct of the English Language paper," the statement partly read.
Adesina further stated that WAEC is collaborating with security agencies to prevent similar incidents in future examinations.
Concerns Over Examination Integrity
The incident has raised serious concerns about examination management and the welfare of students. Education experts worry that writing examinations under such stressful conditions could negatively impact students' performance.
This development comes at a critical time when final-year secondary school students are writing examinations that will determine their eligibility for tertiary education.
As of the time of reporting, neither the Lagos State Ministry of Education nor the Federal Ministry of Education has issued an official statement regarding the incident.
