Many students writing the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination in Taraba State narrowly escaped death on Wednesday evening after their exam hall collapsed during a heavy rainstorm.
The incident happened at Government Secondary School, Namnai, in Gassol Local Government Area. The collapse occurred around 6pm while the second group of candidates were writing their exams.
Witnesses said several students, teachers, NYSC corps members, and external supervisors were trapped inside the building and were rescued by local residents.
A resident, Alhaji DanAzumi Lauris, told The PUNCH that “It was the second batch of students still writing that got trapped. The first group had finished and left before the rain started. The wind was strong, and the old classroom buildings just fell apart.”
Some students suffered broken bones and other injuries. They are now receiving treatment at a nearby primary healthcare centre in the town.
Apart from the school building, the windstorm also destroyed homes in the area.
In another part of the state, students in Jalingo, the capital, were also affected by the same rainstorm. Many candidates had to stay in their exam centres until after 1am because of the heavy rain that made it unsafe to go home.
There was also a reported delay in the arrival of the WAEC exam papers. Some centres didn’t receive the papers until 8pm, which forced students to write their exams late into the night.
Efforts to reach the Commissioner for Basic Education in Taraba, Dr. Augustina Godwin, were unsuccessful as her phone was not reachable at the time of filing this report.
