What was expected to be a routine examination day turned into a prolonged ordeal for pupils in Imo State on Friday as heavy downpour and logistical delays pushed the First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) and Common Entrance examinations to about 7 p.m.
According to an eyewitness report, primary school pupils wrote the examinations into the night as the exercise lingered well past 7 pm across schools.
“The children had left home early in the morning under a heavy downpour to meet up with the examinations scheduled for 9 am, but the rain delayed the arrival of the materials to the different centres,” the report read in part.
Many parents and guardians who accompanied their children and wards to the different examination centres were forced to seek refuge and shelter to avoid being drenched, and were waiting for their children to conclude the examinations as scheduled, but were shocked that the questions papers could not arrive at the various schools by 4 pm.
“From Shell Camp Primary School, Kingdom Heritage Model School, World Bank Primary School, and Barclays International School Irete, among others, many of the parents stayed in their cars, shops, and badgers, as they stood under a downpour waiting for their children to conclude the examinations,” a concerned parent said.
