YESTERDAY, FRIDAY 17/09/2021, was the 6th day into our mini mock joint exam dubbed BURAMU. I overheard the exam department announce that we were competing with some ‘smaller’ schools from Western, and that we should top the lead whatsoever. Friday’s schedule was English paper 2, followed by Physics paper 1 then Geography/C.R.E. I am a linguist, and have never believed English to be a tough subject (well, except some aspects of phonetics and phonology). I spent a better part of Thursday night preps reading Business Studies, my favourite subject which was due for Tuesday the following week, and of course a little Physics.
Few hours into the Thursday night prep, rumour broke out. How rumours travel through the school, and across the form four block to be precise, is a mystery not easy to be solved. Before the perennial dozzers could settle for their nap on top of their lockers, the nerves of the form four block was pulsating and vibrating with the news. Before the class know-it-alls could utter a word, the whole class knew it: the Physics paper had leaked.
Nobody knew much about it. One who thought he knew something about the paper claimed that it was stolen from the staff room when one of the form fours was being punished. Others had it that the paper had been stolen from the Mathematics department which houses most Physics teachers. Another lot who thought they knew it better disagreed. They claimed that the paper found its way from the examinations department, the printers office to be precise. Now that we had failed to find the very origin of the paper, and because it was not really necessary, we settled down to the necessary.
Even the very brightest were not spared. “This is for us all,” they claimed.
I did not see the actual paper, but there are some confidants of mine who I surely believed had a thorough look at it. Others claimed they had seen the marking scheme while others had seen the question paper itself. A lot of red flags. Form fours were milled in groups that night, in the dormitories, assembly hall, dining hall and other places that could permit such meetings. As a result, nyoka were drawn, what some of us refer to as mwakenya or simply mwaks. By the time they were retiring to bed, about 90% of the physics students had those tiny papers laddened with answers from question one to nineteen, safely tucked deep inside the depth of their pockets. Success loomed in the air and they eagerly awaited for Friday.
Here came Friday. The Friday’s morning assembly was a mess. The teachers lamented that the anthems were poorly sang. No prefect addressed the assembly that morning, not even the notorious prefects on duty. Not even the journalism club presenters to keep us at par with trending songs and results of some far flung European football clubs. Everybody seemed to be waiting for the paper. In his turn, the deputy principal administration warned the form fours continuing with their exams against engaging in any form of exam irregularity. Form fours laughed at him sheepishly, as their hands traced where their mwaks were kept; good to go.
The English paper 2 I assume was a walkover, except for a few who I heard complaining of A Doll’s House, a set text by Henrick Ibsen. Then it was Physics time. The bell gone, indicating the start of mid morning exam session. We had already settled in our rooms and made necessary arrangements waiting for the paper. But something seemed not to be working out. Something was wrong, some signal was trying to get through my brain. Everything became silent. The chattering of the noisy form ones gradually reduced and dissapeared altogether. Not even a sound of hammer on a nail was heard from the construction site of a classroom complex just opposite the form four block. It was almost ten minutes into exam time.
Those of us who could not contain the curiosity any further stealthily peeped by the door. On the other end, I saw them. The physics teachers. They were having some form of a consultation, with the exam papers placed in a box beside where they stood. Somebody must have spilled the beans, for sure.
Shortly after, they called the school chairman and mumbled some words to him. He stayed briefly then dejectedly walked back to his room. The reality fell on me that things were really bad, in fac007mj worse than they seemed.
Finally, the students smiled dazzingly as they wondered what took the teachers so long. Immediately a paper was carelessly thrown on top of my locker,my hands scrambled to open it. But Alas! The smile on my face quickly faded away. I remained so for a moment then sank back into my chair, smiling mirthlessly in disappointment. I bit my lower lip, struggling to maintain control. I turned back to look at the others.
Some were confused, surprised, others exhibiting a mixture of reactions while for others, their faces grew cold with emotions that I couldn’t easily read. It was now clear that our yesternight's efforts were futile, and the leakage had ‘hit the wall’.
Immediately after the paper, I grabbed this big writing chapbook of mine and briskly walked to the library. I was not prepared for any discussion about the paper. I buried myself in African literature, trying to soothe myself and pamper my confused mind. Others had it that it was an emergency paper, but I strongly believe that we found a wrong leakage!
#tbt
#HarvanWrites