By Kolawole Ojebisi
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has disclosed why candidates for the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) were kept waiting in their various centres before the commencement of the 2025 English papers which eventually ended late-night.
The examination body attributed the delay and schedule disruption to its renewed efforts to curb examination malpractice which is always at its peak during key subjects like the English language.
This is contained in a statement issued by WAEC’s spokesperson, Moyosola Adesina, on Thursday.
“While we succeeded in safeguarding the examination materials, this inadvertently affected the timeliness and smooth execution of the process,” Moyosola said.
The examination body, however, noted that there are other contributing factors, including logistical challenges, security concerns, and sociocultural issues, responsible for the unintended development.
WAEC said it extends apologies 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”.
“We understand the importance of conducting examinations on schedule, and recognise the impacts delays have on candidates, their schools, and their families,” Adesina added.
The annual West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates for this 2025 commenced on April 24, and according to the released timetable, and is scheduled to conclude on June 20.
The 2025 WASSCE English paper was scheduled for May 28, but was held hours behind schedule in several centres across the country.
This resulted in late-night papers, with many students across the country groaning from waiting too long.
The development has been greeted with public outrage with many criticising the examination body for putting the candidates, many of whom are still in their formative years, in the harm’s way.
