In one of the examination centers in the Odesa region, NMT participants spent nearly 13 hours in a shelter due to air raid alerts. Furthermore, according to the graduates, they were not provided with access to water or food throughout this entire time. This was reported by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, according to UNN.
"What I spoke about has happened. The air raid alert in the Odesa region effectively disrupted the normal conduct of the NMT – children were forced to stay in shelters for almost 13 hours. Our Representative Office in the Odesa region received information about gross violations during the organization of testing in one of the examination centers,"
As reported, the premises where the NMT was conducted proved to be unprepared for operation under martial law and regular air raid alerts. Due to constant interruptions of the testing, the procedure lasted from 09:00 until about 22:00, which is over 13 hours of continuous stress for the children.
Participants shared that during all this time, they were not provided with even basic conditions, namely access to water and food. Communication with parents was also significantly limited, so only individual children who felt unwell were able to contact their relatives.
Separately, Dmytro Lubinets emphasizes the situation of orphaned children who remained without any support during their many hours at the testing center. However, according to the Ombudsman, later, thanks to the personal initiative of teachers and parents, it was still possible to provide children with access to drinking water and food.
"Also, the concern and the principle that 'there are no other people's children' allowed for at least some provision of water and food to orphans and those whose parents could not bring it. After such a marathon, children report critical exhaustion, loss of concentration, and the inability to perform tasks normally. The final blocks were completed in a state of extreme fatigue. This calls into question the objectivity of the results, the equality of conditions for all participants, and the very fairness of the assessment,"
Furthermore, according to available information, participants were offered an additional NMT session, but without clear dates or guarantees that the situation would not recur.
"This is an unacceptable failure of the NMT system under martial law, which provides children with neither safety, nor basic conditions, nor equal opportunities, and effectively violates children's rights. Such organization of testing is inadmissible and requires an immediate response from the Ministry of Education and Science and a review of procedures,"
As a reminder
More than 355,000 people registered for NMT-2026, which is 43,000 more than last year. The most popular elective subject was a foreign language.