Many escape death as examination hall collapses on candidates writing WAEC in Taraba

Dozens of students sitting for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) at Government Secondary School, Namnai, in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State narrowly escaped death on Wednesday evening after their classrooms collapsed during a downpour accompanied by a windstorm.

The students, along with teachers, corps members, and external supervisors, were reportedly trapped in the collapsed structures and had to be rescued by local residents who responded swiftly to the incident.

Several students, both male and female, sustained varying degrees of injuries, with some reportedly suffering fractures to their limbs.

The victims are currently receiving treatment at a nearby Primary Healthcare Centre in the town.

A resident, Alhaji DanAzumi Lauris, speaking with The PUNCH said the incident happened around 6pm, shortly after the second set of students had begun their exams.

“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 added that the windstorm not only brought down the school buildings but also destroyed several homes in the community.

In a related development, students in Jalingo, the state capital, were also affected by Wednesday’s heavy rainfall.

Some candidates were forced to remain at their exam centres until after 1am as the torrential rain made it impossible to return home earlier.

There was also a reported late arrival of WAEC paper for the day, which caused the delay in writing the exams until 8pm when some centres received the paper.

Efforts were made to contact the Commissioner for Basic Education, Dr. Augustina Godwin, but her phone line was not reachable at the time of filing the story.

Meanwhile, WAEC has blamed the delay in the conduct of the 2025 English Language paper on Wednesday on heightened efforts to curb examination malpractice, particularly the leakage of question papers.

In a statement issued on Thursday, WAEC acknowledged the disruption experienced by candidates during the English Language Paper 2, which was scheduled for May 28 but held several hours behind schedule in many centres nationwide.

Videos and photos circulated on social media showed students sitting for the examination as late as 10pm, relying on torchlights and lanterns due to power outages, a situation that sparked outrage and renewed concerns about examination planning and student welfare.

WAEC’s Acting Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, said the examination body’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the examination contributed significantly to the delay.

“While maintaining the integrity and security of our examination, we faced considerable challenges primarily due to our major aim of preventing leakage of any paper.

“While we successfully achieved our objective, it inadvertently impacted the timeliness and seamless conduct of the examination.,” Adesina said.

The examination body also pointed to other compounding factors such as logistical challenges, security concerns, and sociocultural dynamics, which disrupted operations in some areas.

To prevent a recurrence, WAEC said it is working with security agencies to streamline the process and improve operational efficiency in subsequent exams.

“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 apologised 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.

“We recognise the importance of timely conduct of examinations and the impact of this decision on the candidates, their schools and parents, and we sincerely apologise for any inconveniences caused,” Adesina added.