The war does not cancel mathematics: why the Ministry of Education and Science insists on a compulsory subject in the structure of the NMT

Quality education has always been the basis of the development of a person and the entire nation. It is the school, the university and the education system in general that form future specialists, scientists, engineers, doctors, teachers – those who will build the country tomorrow. For children, education is a chance to gain knowledge, develop critical thinking, and discover a world of possibilities. But the war in Ukraine endangered the availability and quality of education for generations of Ukrainian schoolchildren and students. Damaged schools, constant air raids, lack of electricity and internet, evacuation abroad or to other regions — all this turned education into a real challenge.

It is especially difficult for those children who are forced to learn remotely, being far from home or in zones of active hostilities. Blended learning has become the norm, but at the same time it has further exacerbated inequality in access to knowledge. In such conditions, the issue of objective assessment of knowledge, preparation for admission to higher educational institutions and fair selection has become extremely important.

This year, as in previous years during the war, school graduates will take the National Multi-Subject Test (NMT), a form of external independent assessment adapted to wartime conditions. Registration for the test is already underway, and thousands of graduates are preparing for an important stage – admission to Ukrainian universities. However, conducting the NMT causes a lot of controversy and discussion, especially given the mandatory nature of mathematics in this year’s testing.

Many parents and students themselves do not support the fact that mathematics remains among the compulsory subjects. The arguments against are clear: the war, a difficult psychological situation, a large number of children who lost the opportunity to study at an appropriate level — all this affected knowledge, especially in the exact sciences. According to many, mathematics is a subject that requires systematic training, which not everyone had due to objective circumstances. However, this year’s NMT structure provides that mathematics will remain a mandatory component of the test. In general, the participants will be tested in three subjects – Ukrainian language, mathematics and a choice of history of Ukraine, foreign language, biology, physics or chemistry. On the one hand, this gives a certain choice and an opportunity to lighten the load, but on the other hand, for those who did not have the opportunity to learn mathematics in the last two years, there remains a problem.

It will be especially difficult for children from the frontline regions, forced migrants and those who studied abroad, where the program is completely different. For many graduates, taking mathematics at NMT has become a serious psychological barrier. Parents en masse appeal to the Ministry of Education and Science with a request to soften the conditions or allow only those who plan to enter technical specialties to choose mathematics.

In the Ukrainian Center for Evaluation of the Quality of Education explained, why exactly mathematics remains a compulsory subject in the structure of the National Multi-Subject Test (NMT). According to Tetyana Vakulenko, the head of the UTSOYAO, the decision to make mathematics compulsory is based on the fact that this discipline forms in students the ability to think logically, analyze and critically evaluate information.

Tetyana Vakulenko emphasized that mathematics is not just a set of formulas or calculations. First of all, it is a universal tool that teaches a person to build consistent logical conclusions, analyze statements and identify their weakness or contradiction. That is why mathematics develops in students the skills of analysis and working with data necessary for life and future profession.

The head of the UTSOYAO emphasized that today it is impossible to imagine any field of science or higher education that would not require a person to be able to work with numerical and graphical data. Tables, charts, diagrams, percentages — all this becomes a part of everyday educational and professional life. It is mathematics that provides the basic tools that allow us to process and understand this data.

According to her, mathematics is a peculiar language of science that every schoolchild should know, regardless of what profession he will choose in the future. After all, any modern specialty requires the ability to analyze, think systematically, and work with information in a quantitative dimension.

Thus, the inclusion of mathematics in the mandatory part of the NMT is designed not only to assess students’ knowledge of this subject, but also to test their readiness for further study and the ability to think critically – a skill that is basic for a successful life and professional activity in the modern world.

Separately, it should be noted that as of March 21, the registration process for the National Multi-Subject Test (NMT) of 2025 is already actively underway. According to the official data of the Ukrainian Center for Evaluation of the Quality of Education, 217,321 people received notification of successful registration for the test. These participants can already create their NMT-2025 certificate, which will be a pass to take the test and participate in the admissions campaign. Registration for the test began on March 6 and included not only applicants from Ukraine, but also those graduates who ended up abroad due to the war. It is known that 202,654 people have registered to take the test on the territory of Ukraine, and another 14,667 people plan to take the NMT abroad – in specially designated centers in European countries.

It also became known which subjects are in the greatest demand among entrants in the additional block of NMT. The largest number of registrants — 88,966 — chose foreign languages ​​as a third subject for testing. The second most popular was geography – 45,698 participants indicated it in their applications. These numbers testify to the high activity of future entrants and confirm that even in wartime, young people continue to fight for their right to education and the opportunity to enter Ukrainian universities.

A difficult introductory campaign awaits Ukraine. It will show not only the level of training of the graduates, but also the extent to which the state is ready to respond to the challenges of the war in the educational sphere and seek compromises so that children have a chance for the future despite all the difficulties of the present.