- A total of 154 final-year students of Sekondi College were on Thursday, June 11, 2026, prevented from sitting their Chemistry examination after arriving late at the examination centre on the day of the paper.
Reports indicate that 322 candidates were expected to write the subject, but the affected students, mostly boarders, were turned away by a West African Examinations Council (WAEC) official after they arrived at the hall after the exam had already started.
The students say their delay was caused by heavy rainfall that lasted for several hours before the start of the paper, disrupting movement from the school’s dormitories to the examination venue.
Despite efforts by school authorities, including management, the PTA Chairman, and officials of the Ghana Education Service (GES), to get the students to sit the paper, the WAEC official reportedly insisted on enforcing the examination rules.
While WAEC guidelines generally bar candidates from entering the hall once an exam has begun, concerns have been raised about how the rule is applied, with reports suggesting that some day students were still able to take their seats despite similar weather-related delays.
The affected students insist their lateness was unintentional and beyond their control.
“Considering our numbers, it was clearly not deliberate,” one student said. “We were only a few minutes late. The WAEC official could have exercised some discretion. It is heartbreaking that we were denied the chance to write the paper.”
Some students who were allowed to sit the exam also described the absence of their colleagues as emotionally difficult, saying it affected the overall atmosphere in the examination hall.
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