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09 June 2026, 11:33
Ombudsman Criticizes 13-Hour Wait for Emergency Medical Services in the Odesa Region
Ця стаття також доступна українською432
PHOTO: Dmytro Lubinets/Telegram
The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, said that the National Multimedia Test (NMT) in the Odesa region was disrupted due to air raids.
The Ombudsman stated that the Office in the Odesa region had received reports of serious violations during the administration of the test at one of the testing centers.
The room where the NMT was held was not actually prepared for martial law conditions and frequent air raids. Due to the constant interruptions, the procedure lasted from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 10:00 p.m.—more than 13 hours of continuous stress for the children. According to the participants, they were not even provided with basic necessities, such as access to water and food, during this time. Communication with their parents was severely limited: only some children who felt unwell were able to contact them.
Dmytro Lubinets.
He also highlighted the situation of orphans, who, according to the ombudsman, were left completely without any support during their hours-long stay at the testing center.
Subsequently, thanks to the personal initiative of teachers and parents, the participants managed to secure access to drinking water and food. Also, the indifference and the attitude that “other people’s children are not our problem” allowed us to at least somehow provide water and food to orphans and those whose parents could not bring it. After such a marathon, children report severe exhaustion, loss of concentration, and an inability to perform tasks properly. The final sections were completed in a state of extreme fatigue. This calls into question the objectivity of the results, the equality of conditions for all participants, and the very fairness of the assessment. According to available information, the participants were offered an additional NMT session—without clear dates or guarantees that the situation will not be repeated.
Dmytro Lubinets.
The Ombudsman called this situation an unacceptable failure of the system for administering the NMT under martial law, which fails to provide children with safety, basic conditions, or equal opportunities and effectively violates children’s rights. In his view, such an organization of testing is unacceptable and requires an immediate response from the Ministry of Education and Science and a review of procedures.
