Ukrainian Minister of Education and Science Andriy Butenko believes that mathematics should remain a required subject on the National Multidisciplinary Test (NMT), and that the discussion should focus only on its scope and complexity.
"This is an extremely important issue. As you can see, it has stirred up public debate, and discussions are ongoing. Personally, I am convinced that mathematics should remain part of the unified test. We can discuss its scope in determining the overall score. We can discuss the complexity of the problems and how they are evaluated. But for now, it seems to me that it is an integral part of the national multi-subject test," Butenko told reporters during the all-Ukrainian conference "Serpneva-2026 – Education is everyone's business" on Tuesday in Kyiv.
He also said he had received a directive from the president to revise the format of the NMT, make it more flexible, reduce stress for students, and provide the option to retake the test.
"Therefore, we will work very closely with our colleagues to find ways to fulfill the president's instructions and make the NMT effective and less stressful for our students," the minister said.
As previously reported, in early June, amid public discussions about the NMT, Yulia Hryshyna, chair of the Subcommittee on Higher Education of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science, and Innovation, along with 50 MPs, introduced a bill (No. 15254-1) to reduce the number of subjects on the NMT in 2027 and to make mathematics an elective rather than a required subject.
