In the Odessa region, schoolchildren took the NMT for almost 13 hours because of alarms: the Ombudsman’s comment appeared

In the Odessa region, participants in the national multi-subject test spent almost 13 hours in the examination center due to continuous air raid alarms. Children were in shelters until late in the evening and complained about the lack of proper conditions for taking the test.

This was reported by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.

According to him, the Ombudsman’s office in the Odessa region received information about violations during the organization of the NMT at one of the examination centers. Due to regular air raids, the procedure began at 09:00 and ended only around 22:00.

The test participants claim that they did not have adequate access to drinking water and food throughout the day. They were also severely restricted in their ability to contact their parents – only individual children who felt unwell were allowed to contact them.

The Ombudsman paid special attention to the situation with orphaned children, who were actually left without adult support during their many-hour stay at the center.

Only later were parents and teachers able to organize access to water and food for the participants on their own. Help was also provided to orphans and schoolchildren whose families were unable to bring the necessary supplies.

After completing the test, participants reported feeling extremely exhausted and lacking concentration. They said they were already extremely tired when they completed the final blocks of tasks, which could have affected their results.

According to available information, participants were offered to take the NMT again during an additional session, but specific dates have not yet been announced.

At the same time, the director of the Ukrainian Center for Education Quality Assessment stated in a comment to “Osvitoria.Media” that temporary examination centers are doing everything possible to organize testing in safe conditions even during air raids.