Two female students taking part in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) were reportedly forced to urinate in public.
The incident was recorded at Cestos High School Testing Center, River Cess County, after being denied permission to use the restroom.
The students, having been disgraced, told reporters that a WAEC official at the center refused their repeated requests to leave the exam hall to use the toilet.
They said, they were told that leaving the hall would go against examination rules.
“After several attempts to get permission, we had no choice, but to relieve ourselves in the open on the school campus.”
The incident reportedly happened during the ongoing examination period, and was witnessed by other students and security personnel assigned at the center.
In a separate case on the same day, another female student reportedly experienced her menstrual cycle during the exam, and also said, she was denied permission to leave the hall and attend to herself.
When contacted, WAEC staff at the center declined to comment on the matter, saying: “We’re not allowed to speak to the media.”
The incident has raised concern among the public to the extent that many people have called for better treatment of students, specifically, the females, during examinations, and stronger attention to their health, dignity and welfare.
Efforts are ongoing to obtain an official response from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Monrovia Office.
Source: By Aaron Geezay/Ablee-Jay TV