WAEC Exams Run into Night Again, Parents Protest Delays

The ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), has once again been disrupted by significant delays, forcing candidates in some centres to sit for papers late into the night.

The development has raised widespread concern among parents, school administrators, and education stakeholders, coming barely a year after similar incidents where candidates wrote examinations as late as midnight in some locations.

Checks across several centres in Lagos, particularly on Lagos Island and the Lekki axis, showed that delays worsened during the week, with multiple papers starting far behind schedule. On Monday, Physics Papers 1 and 2, originally scheduled for 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., reportedly started late, with some candidates not completing until around 8 p.m.

On Wednesday, candidates writing General Mathematics experienced even more severe disruptions. The essay paper scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon and the objective paper set for 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. were reportedly not concluded until around 10 p.m., leaving many students exhausted and distressed.

By Thursday evening, candidates scheduled for Agricultural Science practical examinations were still waiting for materials several hours after the expected start time, with reports that question papers had not arrived at some centres.

Parents and school officials expressed frustration over the recurring nature of the delays, questioning why the examination body had not resolved similar issues from previous years. A school principal who spoke anonymously described the situation as worrying, noting its psychological impact on students forced to write exams late at night.

A parent in Lekki also criticised the disruptions, stating that his child returned home around 10 p.m. after writing an examination, raising concerns about safety and student welfare.

The issue has sparked further outrage on social media, where users complained about late arrivals of exam materials, prolonged waiting periods, and alleged administrative inefficiencies at examination centres. Some also raised concerns about possible financial demands linked to examination materials, though these claims remain unverified.

A WAEC official, speaking anonymously, acknowledged the disruptions, describing them as “hitches due to unforeseen circumstances” and assured that efforts were underway to resolve the situation and restore normalcy.

However, the West African Examinations Council has yet to issue an official public statement addressing the repeated delays, while stakeholders continue to call for transparency, accountability, and urgent reforms to prevent further disruption of candidates’ academic schedules.