One of the most difficult days in the history of Ukrainian school education has concluded in the Odesa region. More than 800 applicants took the National Multidisciplinary Test (NMT) only after 7 p.m. The delay was caused by prolonged air raid alarms, which interrupted the work of testing centers throughout the day.
Risk or desire: why didn't graduates go home?
According to official rules, if the total time of danger during the test exceeds two and a half hours, the exam is subject to rescheduling for an additional session planned for July 16–24. However, most students in the region refused this right.
Alexander Lonchak, head of the regional Department of Education and Science, reported that the decision to continue the exam on the same day was made voluntarily. Applicants submitted written statements to the heads of testing centers, expressing their unwillingness to postpone the testing for almost two months.
— This was exclusively the children's desire. They did not want to take the test again in a month and a half, so they expressed the desire to continue writing it, — Lonchak explained.
Exam in the basements: how the procedure went
There are 63 testing centers operating in the Odesa region. About half of them are equipped to work under bomb shelter conditions. During the last exam, testing directly in shelters was organized in nine institutions.
The peculiarity of the situation in the regional center is that during the threat of shelling, school basements become a shelter not only for graduates but also for local residents. This created additional difficulties for organizing the educational process.
Government reaction and problems in frontline regions
Regular disruptions in the educational process have forced regional authorities to prepare an appeal to the relevant ministry. Officials are asking for eased admission conditions for applicants from the region located in the combat zone.
— I will appeal to simplify conditions for children from frontline territories, in particular the Odesa region. But the final decision remains with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, — Lonchak emphasized.
These clarifications appeared after reports on social media on June 8, where relatives of applicants expressed dissatisfaction with the organization of the process. They noted that due to constant danger signals, teenagers were forced to stay at testing points from morning until late evening.
Outlook: NMT alternatives
Against the backdrop of difficulties in conducting the National Multidisciplinary Test, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine is considering expanding the list of foreign exams. Results of national exams from other countries may be credited as an alternative to the NMT for admission to Ukrainian universities as early as 2026.