New subjects for secondary education exams

Draft bill #9046 of February 22, 2023 

Status: adopted in the first reading, MPs can still amend it 

Who is affected: schoolchildren, prospective students, their parents, teachers, schools, universities, and government bodies responsible for education 

Summary of the bill: 

• all pupils will have to pass state final exams for each level of general education (primary, secondary, and high school) in the history of Ukraine and a foreign language, in addition to the existing mandatory subjects of the state language and mathematics 
• state standards will have to ensure the necessary level of competence in Math, knowledge of the history of Ukraine, and proficiency in a foreign language for all pupils of educational establishments who acquire general secondary education. 

What is right: 

• the level of competence of pupils in the history of Ukraine, foreign languages, and mathematics will increase 
• the requirements for the quality of teaching the history of Ukraine, mathematics, and foreign language will be more stringent. 

What is wrong: the bill may increase the workload of pupils and teachers, which may negatively affect the quality of learning and teaching.