Secondary school students sitting for the 2025 West African Secondary Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE) sat for their English paper in the dark amid blackout and insecurity.
The Guardian learnt that the exam started around 7 pm on Wednesday and was scheduled to end around 9 pm in some schools, while candidates in other centers sat for theirs around between 4 pm and 7 pm.
Findings by The Guardian revealed that some of the students sat for the exam amid blackouts and in insecure zones, using flashlights from their mobile phones to write the exam.
Speaking on Wednesday night, the brother of one of the candidates sitting for the exam who lives at the Olorunsogo area of Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, Mubarak Akande, said he walked into his sister’s school at the Adewole area of the state around 7 pm and was schocked to see the students sitting for the exam.
While narrating his experience, he said he saw the students sitting in a dark classroom using flashlights from their phones to write the exams.
“I got to the school and saw all the students writing exams with flashlights and headlamps. The school was not properly illuminated. Imagine anyone with a sight defect there. I’m really livid,” he said.
Many X users have taken to the microblogging platform to knock the examination board for conducting exams in the dark.
One X user wrote, “ Students in Nigeria are currently writing their WAEC exams under terrible conditions. Today, the English paper, which began at 8:00 PM, is being conducted, some students were reportedly asked to bring rechargeable lights to continue the exam. The exam is still on this is 9:33pm.”
“ WAEC is keeping teenage students for HOURS now, waiting like fools, till now English papers is yet to arrive. In 2025. In Nigeria. This is beyond incompetence it’s disgraceful. Heads must roll. Someone must be held accountable. We won’t keep normalizing this madness,” another X user wrote.
The examination conducting body has not released a statement regarding this at the time of filing this report.
In April, candidates for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) risked their safety by leaving their homes before dawn to sit for their 6:30 am exams. – Guardian.
