A proposal by lawmakers to abolish the mandatory national math test has drawn criticism in Ukraine
The introduction of a bill in the Verkhovna Rada proposing to remove mathematics from the list of mandatory subjects for the National Multidisciplinary Test (NMT) starting in 2027 has sparked a wave of outrage in the educational and scientific communities.
Experts call this initiative a sign of a deep crisis in state thinking and a path toward the loss of the country’s intellectual sovereignty.
Instead, lawmakers propose leaving only two mandatory subjects—the Ukrainian language and Ukrainian history—and making the third subject a choice for the student.
Educators, scholars, and subject-matter experts are convinced that the attempt to turn an exact science into an elective subject is a dangerous attempt to solve demographic problems by taking the path of least resistance.
According to Oleksandr Kozlov, director of Vinnytsia Lyceum No. 9, the logic behind this initiative is based on an attempt to artificially keep young people in Ukraine during the war and demographic crisis.
“The logic is simple: simplify admission requirements, eliminate the difficult exam, and then graduates will stay at Ukrainian universities,” explains Kozlov.
However, the expert is convinced that this approach is flawed and destructive for the future of the entire country. The educator believes that historical experience shows that simplifying requirements has never saved educational systems, but has only legitimized their decline.
“History teaches us that artificially lowering the bar has never saved a system—it has only legitimized its degradation. We need more than just statistics on full classrooms or people with diplomas ‘for show.’ The country needs quality human capital. The reality of education is ruthless: as soon as a subject ceases to be mandatory for admission, it effectively stops being taught at the proper level in school,” notes Oleksandr Kozlov.
Ihor Likarchuk, a well-known Ukrainian education figure and former director of the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment, joined in the criticism of the lawmakers.
He noted with irony that the actions of some parliamentarians clearly reveal personal school-related insecurities.
According to Likarchuk, instead of completely removing the subject from the required curriculum, a differentiated approach with three distinct levels of difficulty should be implemented for technical fields, related professions, and the humanities.
“The third level is for humanities students, who need math only because, in the words of the classic, ‘it brings the mind to its senses.’ But seriously, it is not math that should be removed from the list of mandatory tests,” concluded Ihor Likarchuk.
Anton Senenko, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and a well-known science communicator, spoke even more strongly, calling the deputies’ initiative a threat to national security.
He emphasized that the current geopolitical reality requires Ukraine to develop its own technologies, which is impossible without knowledge of the exact sciences.
“I find it hard to understand what logic they’re following: short-sighted, so that children don’t go abroad but stay here in a sea of imitation universities, or, in fact, is this really a plan for the gentle disarmament of the country? Like they’re playing dumb with a look on their faces that says, ‘What’s the big deal?’” the scientist said indignantly.
He called on the authorities to abandon the illusion that the country’s future can be built solely on the service sector or the purchase of foreign technologies.
The Ministry of Education and Science has approved the 2026 National Multidisciplinary Test (NMT) schedule: registration dates, test sessions, and results announcement
Main NMT sessions begin in Ukraine
