The Oyo State Government has expressed concern over disruptions recorded during the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), following reports of delayed delivery of examination materials across several centres in the state.
Authorities in the state said the situation caused unnecessary pressure for students and parents, raising questions about the smooth conduct of the examinations.
The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Olusegun Olayiwola, made the government’s position known in a statement issued on Friday in Ibadan.
He explained that monitoring reports from various examination centres on Thursday indicated that question papers arrived significantly later than scheduled, contrary to the timetable approved by the examination body.
According to him, papers for Government Objective and Agricultural Science Practical, which were slated for June 4, were delivered to some centres as late as 6:30 p.m.
He further noted that by 8:11 p.m., candidates in parts of Ogbomoso and Saki were still sitting for the Government paper, while the Agricultural Science Practical had yet to commence in some locations.
Olayiwola added that a similar challenge was recorded on June 3, when insufficient copies of the Mathematics Objective paper were distributed, forcing the examination to continue late into the night in some centres.
He said officials of the ministry reached out to the WAEC Zonal Coordinator, who attributed the delays to logistical difficulties.
The commissioner urged the examination body to strengthen its operational arrangements to prevent a recurrence, stressing that while WAEC operates independently of state control, improved coordination was necessary to avoid further disruptions.
He also called on WAEC to reschedule any paper that failed to arrive at examination centres before 4:00 p.m. on the scheduled day, in order to protect candidates from undue stress and safeguard their wellbeing.
Olayiwola reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to the welfare of students and pledged continued engagement with relevant stakeholders to ensure a stable and conducive examination environment.