By Mark Mayah
If not that what happened on Wednesday regarding the 2025 SSCE English Language paper was most embarrassing and unfortunate, one should be laughing hysterically, of course, with the head thrown backwards, at WAEC.
Reason? You’ll find out, just keep reading.
While on my way back from work on Wednesday night about after 9pm, a friend called to report that her daughter writing the 2025 SSCE was yet to get home by that time. She explained that one of her daughter’s teachers called to request she brought food for her as the English Language paper was delayed. On getting to the school – Ijanikin area of Lagos State,
she was shocked, livid upon discovering that the children were writing in the dark. Only lights from phone flashlights and rechargeable lamps fairly illuminated their exam hall. Why? Trying to process the situation, I wondered who to blame; WAEC for late arrival of the paper or the school for not having a standby generator; even the type Nigerians know as ‘I pass my neighbour’. I mean, Nigerians are used to ‘NEPA’ failure so why would a secondary school not have ‘I pass my neighbour’? So I asked no one in particular, what is really happening to Nigeria? First it was 2025 JAMB. Students scheduled for 6:30 am had to leave their homes before dawn to meet up, amidst rising insecurity and difficult transport situations. And when a prominent figure spoke up against it, he was called names. As if that wasn’t enough, results were messed up by whatever the examination body called it. As a result, parents suffered a second time to take their children to their centers for the re-sit examination.
Now, WAEC is trending like JAMB did a few weeks back. It first happened in a school in Delta State few days ago and then spread as students in some parts of the country wrote English Language Paper 2 in darkness on Wednesday night, using phone flashlights and lanterns.
From Benue to Kwara, Lagos States etc, the story was the same. Reports had it that while the candidates had earlier written the essay component of their English paper, they kept them waiting for several hours for the arrival of the exam officer
with the objective section.
In some centres, it was reported that the paper was delayed till about 8:00 to 9:00 pm with exams reportedly ending as late as 11:00 pm. The worst thing is that the exam officers couldn’t explain exactly the cause for the delay.
It was also reported that in some parts of the state, some schools reportedly did not write the objective section at all and had to do so the next day.
Now, look at the irony. WAEC, according to a statement credited to it, said it was in a bid to avoid exam malpractice that the paper was delayed. “While we succeeded in safeguarding the examination materials, this inadvertently affected the timeliness and smooth execution of the process,” stated WAEC’s spokesperson Moyosola Adesina, according to TheCable. It also reported that the examination body also cited other contributing factors, including logistical challenges, security concerns, and sociocultural issues.
So, they prevented paper leakage but may have offered students expo on the platter of gold- mobile phones. While using the flashlights on their mobile phones, what stopped them from searching for things like synonyms of words and meanings of idioms? etc. These are tech savvy Gen Zs with AI at their beck and call.
On the flip side, imagine the dilemma of any student with a sight defect there. Also, even though they had an opportunity to cheat in the dark, don’t be surprised that due to the physical and emotional stress that would have messed up their psychology because of waiting for too long, they may not even remember that their phones could be of help other than as tools to illuminate the hall.
Sincerely speaking, it’s hoped that there won’t be mass failure in English Language in this 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) after the disastrous stunt the organisers pulled on Wednesday. Of all papers, it is a compulsory subject like English Language that was messed up.
What will be the saddest part is that when, no, let’s say if that happens, people will not remember that these students wrote the subject in the most unconducive manner ever.
Our children deserve better. All these excuses by exam bodies are not solving any problems at all.
