THE West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has issued an apology to students, schools, and parents for the inconvenience caused by the disruption in administering the 2025 English Language paper on Wednesday, May 28.
The organisation tendered the apology in a statement released on Thursday.
It acknowledged the disruption experienced by candidates during the English Language Paper 2, conducted several hours later than scheduled in many centres across the country.
The WAEC explained that the delay was part of measures taken to prevent examination malpractice, especially the leakage of question papers.
“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,” WAEC’s Acting Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, said.
The ICIR reported that many students writing the paper were stranded in several states in Nigeria, including Osun and Kwara, and remained in examination halls till midnight.
Parents informed this organisation Wednesday night that their children told them the English Language paper they were supposed to write leaked, and the examination was delayed instead of being cancelled or rescheduled.
Another twist to the ongoing examination saw students using torch lights inside the dark in a widely circulated video.
The Federal Ministry of Education condemned the development and described it as “completely unacceptable.”
In its Thursday apology, WAEC explained that the delay was largely due to the Council’s strong commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the examination.
“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.”
The examination body also cited additional contributing factors, including logistical difficulties, security issues, and sociocultural dynamics, which affected operations in certain areas.
“Despite our best efforts, we encountered logistical hurdles, security concerns and sociocultural factors that negatively influenced our operations.”
The WAEC said it was working with security agencies to streamline the process and improve operational efficiency in subsequent exams to prevent a recurrence.
The ICIR reports that the 2025 WASSCE for school candidates commenced on April 24 and is scheduled to end on June 20.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.
The reason for the delay is not good enough considering the security challenges now. The paper should have been rescheduled or cancelled if heavy malpractice is discovered.