Draft bill #12053 of September 23, 2024 

Status: sent for review to the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on Education, Science, and Innovations 

Cosponsors: a group of 17 MPs from the Servant of the People, Batkivshchyna, and Holos factions with Serhii Babak as the first signatory 

Who is affected: students and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine 

Summary: 

  • in 2025, admission to higher education establishments based on the full secondary education certificate, junior specialist diploma, or bachelor’s degree will be based on the results of the National Multiple Subject Test (NMT) 2022-2025 and a creative competition 
  • in 2025, applicants will have to pass testing in the Ukrainian language, mathematics, and history of Ukraine. Optional subjects will include foreign language, biology, geography, physics, chemistry, and Ukrainian literature 
  • schoolchildren completing their 4th, 9th, or 11th grades in the 2024/2025 academic year will be exempt from state final certification. 

What is right: 

  • the bill enhances the safety of students and applicants of higher education establishments: NMT will be conducted in one day, making it easier for organizers to ensure the safety of participants 
  • allowing NMT to be held abroad will encourage Ukrainian children abroad to continue studying in Ukrainian schools and thus will help to maintain connections with Ukrainians who have left the country. 

Background information: during martial law, changes are made to the law on higher education each year regarding a special admission procedure to higher educational establishments. The National Multiple Subject Test (NMT) was introduced instead of the external independent evaluation. The educational ombudsman emphasizes that the main goal during the NMT is to ensure the safety of test participants and organizers. 

Additional information: 

  • video from the Visible project series: Students on changes to higher education 
  • article by Mariia Ocheretiana: Quality education for fair price: How communities can make decisions in favor of children 
  • article by Mariia Ocheretiana: Orders from above can’t work: Optimization of educational establishments