Darkness And Despair: Students Sit WASSCE Exams By Torchlight At 11pm
Students in various parts of Benue State were forced to write their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) papers in total darkness on Wednesday night, relying on phone torchlights to see.
After completing the essay component of their English examination earlier in the day, candidates were made to wait for hours for the arrival of the exam officer with the objective section.
The delay dragged on until around 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. in some centres, with the exam reportedly concluding as late as 11:00 p.m.
A student from a secondary school in Ogbadibo Local Government Area, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, recounted, “We waited endlessly after finishing the essay part. When the exam officer eventually arrived, we had to use our phone lights and lanterns to write the objective section. It was extremely stressful.”
Another student added, “The officer didn’t give any proper explanation for the delay. He just handed over the papers without saying why he came late.”
The incident caused widespread panic among parents, many of whom rushed to the exam centres after hearing that their children were still writing exams late into the night.
One frustrated parent in Owukpa told DAILY POST, “This is a national embarrassment. How can students be writing exams in the bush, in pitch darkness, at such a dangerous hour? Is this how we intend to shape Nigeria’s future?”
It was also reported that a local community leader in Owukpa had to provide shelter for the exam officer, who couldn’t return home due to rising insecurity in the area.
“We had no choice but to let him spend the night here. It was already past 11 p.m., and nobody dares travel at that hour around here. The government must step in,” the leader said.
Sources confirmed that the issue was not isolated to Ogbadibo. In other parts of the state, some schools allegedly didn’t receive the objective section at all and were told to complete it the following morning.
“This kind of irregularity undermines the credibility of the examination process. WAEC must address this immediately and implement corrective measures,” a concerned teacher remarked.
As of the time this report was filed, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) had yet to issue an official statement on the matter.
Get real-time News Updates on Our WHATSAPP channel:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9qtzXHwXbIyBGtjk2o
