Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko has that there is "no possibility" for mathematics to become an elective subject on the National Multi-Subject Test (NMT).
"There is no possibility to do such a thing. I believe that we need to speak frankly with each other… I do not think that our structure will be changed next year, or in a year, or in another period," Svyrydenko said at the Education of New Ukraine 2.0 conference in Kyiv on Monday, answering a question on whether there is a possibility next year to make mathematics an optional subject on the NMT.
She stated that for her, the discussion regarding the topic of mathematics on the NMT looks strange in general.
The prime minister added that by making mathematics an elective subject, the state could make things worse for both applicants and itself.
"Since it is up to you to rebuild it, to make Ukraine the best place for living and conducting business. For this, it is necessary to have abilities, knowledge, and skills, and mathematics lays all these foundations," Svyrydenko stated.
As reported, this year the NMT is being held according to last year’s model: on a single day with the possibility of additional sessions. The list of NMT subjects remains unchanged – applicants take Ukrainian language, mathematics, history of Ukraine, and one elective subject: a foreign language, biology, geography, physics, chemistry, or Ukrainian literature.
In social networks, just like last year, discussions are ongoing that this year’s tasks are harder than last year’s, particularly in mathematics.
On this wave of discussions, head of the subcommittee on higher education of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science, and Innovations Yulia Hryshyna, along with 50 deputies, registered an alternative bill to the government one (No. 15254-1) to reduce the number of NMT subjects in 2027 and establish that mathematics will be an elective rather than a compulsory subject.
In turn, Minister of Education Oksen Lisovyi stated that the department does not support this deputy bill, while the Ministry of Education stated that higher education involves not only acquiring professional competencies, but also a person’s ability to learn, analyze information, work with algorithms, solve problems, and master complex educational programs, which is why mathematics must remain a compulsory component of university entrance examinations.
