The Oyo State Government has expressed concern over delays that disrupted the ongoing 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), saying the situation left candidates writing papers late into the night and exposed them to avoidable stress.

In a statement issued in Ibadan on Friday by the Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, the state government said it sympathised with affected students, parents, and school authorities.

The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Olusegun Olayiwola, explained that several examination centres experienced late arrival of question papers for subjects written on Thursday.

He said Government (Objective) and Agricultural Science (Practical) papers did not arrive on time in many centres, with some materials reportedly delivered as late as 6:30 p.m.

As a result, some students in parts of Ogbomoso and Saki were still writing the Government paper around 8 p.m., while others had yet to begin the Agricultural Science practical scheduled for later.

Olayiwola also recalled a similar disruption earlier in the week when shortages of Mathematics papers caused delays and extended examination sessions beyond normal hours in several centres.

According to him, the Ministry of Education contacted WAEC officials, who attributed the challenges to logistical issues.

While noting that WAEC is an independent examination body, the state government urged it to improve its distribution system to prevent a repeat of such incidents.

Olayiwola further suggested that any paper that cannot be delivered to centres before 4 p.m. should be postponed to protect candidates from writing exams late at night.

The government reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding students’ welfare and ensuring a more stable examination environment across the state.