At Government Secondary School, Namnai, in the Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State, dozens of students preparing for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) barely survived Wednesday night when their classrooms collapsed during a downpour and windstorm.
Locals raced quickly to the scene and rescued the children, instructors, corps members, and outside supervisors who were apparently trapped in the collapsing structures.
Numerous male and female pupils were injured to differing degrees; some were said to have had limb fractures.
Currently, the casualties are being treated in the town’s Primary Healthcare Center.
Alhaji DanAzumi Lauris, a local, told The PUNCH that the incident occurred at around 6 p.m., just after the second group of pupils had started their examinations.
“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 continued by saying that in addition to bringing down the school buildings, the windstorm also wrecked a number of local residences.
In a related issue, Wednesday’s intense rain also had an impact on students in the state capital of Jalingo.
Due to the intense rain, several applicants were unable to leave their exam locations until after one in the morning.
Additionally, the WAEC paper for the day was reported to arrive late, which delayed test writing until some centers received it at 8 p.m.
At the time the report was filed, attempts were made to get in touch with Dr. Augustina Godwin, the Commissioner for Basic Education, but her phone number was unreachable.
In the meanwhile, WAEC has attributed the postponement of Wednesday’s 2025 English Language test to increased measures to prevent exam misconduct, namely question paper leaks.
WAEC recognized the inconvenience applicants faced during the English Language Paper 2, which was supposed to take place on May 28 but was held several hours later in various centers around the country, in a statement released on Thursday.
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Outrage and fresh worries about exam planning and student safety were aroused by videos and images that went viral on social media, showing students sitting for the test as late as 10 p.m. and using lanterns and torchlights because of power shortages.
Moyosola Adesina, WAEC’s Acting Head of Public Affairs, stated that a major factor in the delay was the examination body’s dedication to maintaining the exam’s integrity.
“While we successfully achieved our objective, it inadvertently impacted the timeliness and seamless conduct of the examination.,” Adesina said.
The review panel also identified additional contributing elements that upset operations in some regions, including logistical difficulties, security issues, and social dynamics.
WAEC stated that in order to avoid a repeat, it is collaborating with security authorities to expedite the procedure and enhance operational effectiveness in upcoming tests.
“Despite our best efforts, we encountered logistical hurdles, security concerns and sociocultural factors that negatively influenced our operations.
“In order to forestall future occurrences of this nature, the council is currently collaborating with security agencies,” the statement added.
WAEC apologized to students, schools, and parents for the inconvenience caused by the disruption and thanked all stakeholders for their understanding during what it described as a “challenging period”.
The examination body reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the integrity of its exams and promoting academic excellence across the region.
