By DAVID ADEBOYE

The Oyo State Government has decried the delays that disrupted the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the state.

The government said the development subjected students and parents to avoidable stress and risk.

The State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Olusegun Olayiwola, expressed the government's concern on Friday in a statement issued in Ibadan.

According to Olayiwola, reports from several centres on Thursday showed that examination materials arrived hours behind schedule, contrary to WAEC’s approved timetable.

“Question papers for Government Objective and Agricultural Science Practical, scheduled for June 4, did not get to many centres until about 6:30 p.m.

“By 8:11 p.m, some centres in Ogbomoso and Saki were still writing the Government paper, while the Agricultural Science Practical had not started,” he stated.

Olayiwola added that a similar issue occurred on June 3, when Mathematics Objective papers were supplied in insufficient quantities, forcing the examination to run into late in the night.

“Officials of the ministry contacted the WAEC Zonal Coordinator, who blamed the delays on logistic challenges,” he stated.

He urged the council to take proactive steps to prevent a recurrence, noting that WAEC was an international body outside the state’s direct control.

The commissioner, on behalf of the state government asked WAEC to reschedule any paper that could not reach their centres on or before 4:00 p.m on the examination day.

He said that it would protect candidates from undue stress, safeguard their well-being, and reduce anxiety for parents and stakeholders.

He reaffirmed government’s commitment to students’ welfare and said it would continue engaging stakeholders to ensure a safe and conducive environment for learning and examinations.(NAN)