The situation with the National Multisubject Testing (NMT) in Odesa, which was extended to 13 hours due to air raid alerts, has caused a wide public outcry. The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MES) clarified the details of the events, explaining the algorithm of actions of the organizers and the rights that were granted to applicants under force majeure conditions.

Rules of the game in wartime

The department reminded that a special regulation is provided for conducting exams during wartime. According to it, if the total duration of air raid alerts during the two stages of testing exceeds two and a half hours, the responsible person of the temporary examination center, together with the regional center for the evaluation of the quality of education, makes a decision on the expediency of continuing the exam.

It was this scenario that was realized in the Odesa region. After the breaks for shelter reached a critical level, participants were offered to complete the testing and submit an application to participate in an additional NMT session.

Applicants' choice: 105 versus a thousand

The provided opportunity divided the participants into two groups. According to official MES data, 105 people used the right to retake the exam. However, the overwhelming majority — about a thousand applicants — insisted on continuing the testing, despite the long pauses and inconveniences.

The ministry also noted that individual educational institutions, on their own initiative, tried to improve conditions for schoolchildren: they provided them with water and food or organized the transfer of food and drinks from parents. At the same time, the department emphasized that no official complaints from the participants of the testing or their parents had been received by the organizers.

Situation in Vinnytsia

Separately, the Ministry of Education commented on the incident that took place on June 1 at Vinnytsia Lyceum No. 22, which also attracted public attention. It was about technical difficulties that one of the applicants encountered. The girl's appeal has already been considered by the Vinnytsia Regional Center for the Evaluation of the Quality of Education.

"The final decision on her admission to the additional session will be made by the Ukrainian Center for the Evaluation of the Quality of Education," the MES explained.

Public reaction

Recall that earlier, representatives of the ombudsman stated that applicants in Odesa had been in shelter for a long time without proper conditions. The Verkhovna Rada urged the leadership of the Ukrainian Center for the Evaluation of the Quality of Education (UCEQE) to provide official explanations on this situation. However, current ministry data indicates that the process was conducted within the procedures established by law, and the choice between a break and continuing the exam remained with the schoolchildren themselves.