It has indeed been a troubling time for Nigerian students.. After the JAMB debacle of the past few weeks, widespread confusion ensued across several exam centres in Nigeria on Wednesday, as candidates taking the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) faced hours-long delays in writing the English Language paper.
As if that is not bad enough, dozens of students sitting for the ongoing exams at Government Secondary School, Namnai, in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State narrowly escaped death on Wednesday evening after their classrooms collapsed during a downpour accompanied by a windstorm.
The students, along with teachers, corps members, and external supervisors, were reportedly trapped in the collapsed structures and had to be rescued by local residents who responded swiftly to the incident.
Several students, both male and female, sustained varying degrees of injuries, with some reportedly suffering fractures to their limbs.
The victims are currently receiving treatment at a nearby Primary Healthcare Centre in the town.
A resident, Alhaji DanAzumi Lauris, who spoke with The PUNCH in a telephone interview, said the incident happened around 6pm, shortly after the second set of students had begun their exams.
“It was the second batch of students still writing their exams that got trapped. The first set had already finished and left.
“The rain came suddenly with strong winds, and the old classroom structures couldn’t withstand it,” he said
He added that the windstorm not only brought down the school buildings but also destroyed several homes in the community.
In a related development, students in Jalingo, the state capital, were also affected by Wednesday’s heavy rainfall.
Some candidates were forced to remain at their exam centres until after 1 am, as the torrential rain made it impossible to return home earlier.
There was also a reported late arrival of WAEC paper for the day, which caused the delay in writing the exams until 8pm, when some centres received the paper.
Efforts were made to contact the Commissioner for Basic Education, Dr. Augustina Godwin, but her phone line was not reachable at the time of filing the story.
On the issue of exams that were written at night, the exam, scheduled to begin at 9:00 am, did not commence until midday at multiple locations.
Even at that, the last paper did not start until nightfall in some centres, with students in Lagos reportedly still writing as late as 11:45 pm under torchlight.
The disruption, which triggered anger among parents and sparked an online backlash, occurred in several southwestern states, including Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, and Osun.
Some sources report that the paper was leaked online, prompting the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to replace it at the last minute.
Responding to the incident, WAEC issued a statement apologising to candidates, parents, and schools.
Moyosola Adesina, acting head of public affairs, said the disruption was a result of intensified security efforts to prevent question leakage.
“While we successfully maintained the integrity of the examination, it impacted the timeliness and seamless conduct of the English Language paper,” the statement reads in part.
The council said it is working with security agencies to prevent future lapses.
