WAEC faces fresh scrutiny after students write exams into night

Candidates sitting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Lagos have again been forced to write papers deep into the night, in a repeat of last year’s disruptions that has renewed questions about WAEC’s operational capacity.

Checks across examination centres on Lagos Island and in the Lekki axis this week showed that delays, some stretching beyond six hours, affected sittings in Physics, General Mathematics and Agricultural Science Practical, among other subjects.

Physics Papers 2 and 1, scheduled to hold between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday, reportedly did not commence as scheduled, with some candidates completing the second paper around 8 p.m.

On Wednesday, candidates sitting General Mathematics — one of the examination’s most critical papers, concluded both the essay and objective components at approximately 10 p.m., nearly seven hours behind schedule.

By Thursday evening, candidates awaiting Agricultural Science Practical materials had yet to begin, with centre officials citing non-arrival of examination materials.

The pattern mirrors incidents from the 2025 examination cycle, when similar logistical failures saw candidates’ writing papers past midnight, a situation WAEC had given assurances would not recur.

Education stakeholders say the disruptions are more than a scheduling inconvenience, pointing to psychological stress on candidates and security risks arising from students returning home unaccompanied late at night.

“Why are we experiencing this again after what happened last year? Apart from the security concerns in the country, these delays have psychological effects on candidates.

Imagine preparing for an examination scheduled for noon and eventually writing it at 7 p.m. or later,” said a school principal in Lagos.

A parent in Lekki, whose child returned home around 10 p.m. on Wednesday, said the recurrence pointed to a systemic failure in examination management.

“We expected lessons would have been learned from last year’s experience,” the parent said.

Social media complaints have also mounted, with users alleging shortages of question paper supplies at some centres, late arrival of supervisors and reports that certain schools were levying candidates for mathematics sets used during the examination, an allegation that, if substantiated, would constitute a violation of examination regulations.

An official of the examinations council, speaking without authorisation to do so publicly, confirmed awareness of the situation but offered no timeline or structural explanation.

“Yes, we are aware of some hitches due to unforeseen circumstances. However, we are doing everything possible to address the issues, and hopefully, things will return to normal soon,” the official said.

WAEC had not issued a formal public statement as of Thursday evening. Stakeholders are pressing the council to disclose the root causes of the disruptions and outline concrete remediation measures ahead of remaining examination dates.

The WASSCE is a high-stakes qualification taken by hundreds of thousands of candidates annually across Nigeria and other West African countries, with outcomes directly shaping university admissions and employment prospects.

Repeated administrative failures risk eroding confidence in the examination’s integrity, a concern that extends beyond candidates to employers and tertiary institutions that rely on its results.