By Charles Maduka
Dozens of students sitting for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination narrowly escaped death on Wednesday when an examination hall collapsed at Government Secondary School, Namnai, in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State.
The incident occurred during a heavy downpour accompanied by strong winds, which caused the old classroom structures to give way while the second batch of students were still writing their exams.
According to eyewitnesses, several students, teachers, corps members, and external supervisors were trapped in the collapsed buildings but were rescued by residents of the community who quickly responded to the scene.
Some of the students reportedly sustained serious injuries, including fractures, and are currently receiving treatment at a nearby primary healthcare centre.
A local resident, Alhaji DanAzumi Lauris, explained that the first batch of students had completed their exams and left before the storm began around 6pm.
“The second set was still inside when the rain started suddenly. The buildings couldn’t stand the wind,” he said, adding that homes in the area were also affected by the storm.
In a separate incident in Jalingo, heavy rainfall disrupted examination activities, with some students forced to remain at exam centres until after 1am. There were also reports of delayed arrival of WAEC question papers, with some centres receiving them as late as 8pm.
Efforts to reach the Commissioner for Basic Education, Dr. Augustina Godwin, for comments were unsuccessful as her phone was unreachable.
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