A final-year student of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State, Kolawole Zainab, tragically died on Wednesday just moments before she was due to sit for a scheduled examination.

Zainab, a mother of three and a Higher National Diploma (HND II) student in the Quantity Surveying Department, reportedly collapsed while revising her notes ahead of a first-semester exam slated for 12 p.m. She was immediately rushed to the institution’s medical centre, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

According to a fellow student who witnessed the incident but asked not to be named, the news of her sudden passing sent shockwaves through the student community.

“Her sudden death has thrown her classmates into deep mourning. Though we’re not in the same department, we were all preparing for exams. I doubt her class could proceed with theirs after what happened,” the student said.

The loss has also reverberated among the academic staff. A lecturer in the institution, Mr. David Olufunsho Fagboungbe, took to Facebook to express his sorrow, writing:

“Tears, agony and grief today as female HND QS student of Federal Polytechnic, Ede, and mother of 3 dies in the heat of ongoing first-semester examination 😭😭😭.”

Confirming the incident, Mr. Sola Lawal, Acting Director of Information, Protocol and Public Relations at the polytechnic, said:

“Yes, it’s true. Her name is Kolawole Zainab. She was an HND II student and was brought in dead to our medical centre.”

The cause of Zainab’s death has not been officially disclosed. Her passing has cast a shadow over the ongoing examination period, with students and staff mourning the loss of a colleague and mother pursuing her academic dreams.