WAEC Sign-Out Celebrations Under Fire as Schools Move to Ban Excesses

(Scholar. Photo Credit: Vanguard)

Few days ago, social media was abuzz with various scenes of final year secondary school students celebrating after completing their final papers in the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

The scenes recorded in some parts of the country left many parents, social workers, teachers, and even some students concerned and bewildered.

The most audacious and seriously inappropriate behaviour recorded, considering our cultural context, occurred in Ondo State, where some students reportedly engaged in inappropriate physical contact in public and recorded the act for circulation online.

The state government has since identified the students and schools involved and imposed sanctions on them.

The sign-out culture, which also began in tertiary institutions, has similarly become uncontrollable and has, on occasion, resulted in fatalities.

Driven by peer pressure and social media influence, these celebrations often escalate from the traditional practice of signing autographs on white shirts to dangerous public disturbances.

What began as a cherished rite of passage, in which graduating students wore plain white shirts on their final exam day for classmates and lecturers to write farewell messages and well wishes on, has spiralled out of control.

The processions now frequently involve reckless conduct, excessive alcohol consumption, and vandalism of institutional facilities, with the pouring of substances such as paint, dirty water and engine oil on colleagues becoming commonplace.

Many tertiary institutions have since banned the practice altogether.

‘We won’t allow it in unity colleges’ PTA chairman

Speaking on the development, the South-West Zonal Chairman of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of Unity Colleges, Mr Ayopo Somefun, criticised the indecent conduct exhibited by some students during celebrations marking the completion of their final examinations.

He said the association celebrates academic success rather than misconduct, describing the completion of WASSCE as a landmark achievement for the students and commending their effort and resilience.

He, however, condemned the display of indecency, the vandalism of school uniforms, and the disorderly street gatherings that accompanied some of the celebrations.

He described the trend as a regional concern, noting that what happened in Akure reflects a pattern spreading across the zone, warning that if left unchecked, it risks eroding the discipline, character and academic reputation for which Unity Schools are known nationwide.

He stressed that responsibility for addressing the issue rests collectively with the home, the school, vendors and society at large, stating that discipline cannot continue to be outsourced solely to schools while students remain unsupervised during this critical transition period.

He also announced a ban on such activities across all unity colleges in the zone, stressing that the association would not stand by and allow such indecent behaviour to take root.

He called for the introduction of structured post-WASSCE activities, including sports, skills acquisition, STEM fairs and civic engagement, across Unity Schools in the zone.

He further lamented the erosion of teachers’ authority to discipline students, noting that teachers now face attacks and harassment from students and parents alike whenever they attempt to enforce discipline, which he said accounts for the current fallout being witnessed.

He called for a return to the old system where teachers are empowered and allowed to carry out their duties as both parents and teachers to their students, criticising school authorities who ridicule teachers in front of students, thereby eroding the respect students have for them.

He noted that in some other nations, teachers are respected members of society rather than being looked down upon, stressing that they are well paid and given the necessary support to function effectively as moulders of the character of tomorrow’s leaders.