The NMT Scandal: Head of the UCEQA Speaks Out About Pressure, Threats, and a Faked Audio Recording
11 June 07:42
An audio recording is circulating online in which Tetyana Vakulenko, director of the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment (UCEQA), is allegedly heard using profanity toward a potential participant in the National Multidisciplinary Test (NMT). As Vakulenko herself stated on social media, the recording is heavily edited, and the actual conversation, according to her, was spliced in such a way as to damage her reputation and that of the UCEQA, reports "Komersant Ukrainian"
This concerns a situation surrounding an appeal regarding the girl’s registration for the National Multidisciplinary Test during the additional registration period. According to Vakulenko, the UCEQA appeals commission denied the appeal because the documents were not properly submitted for processing during the main registration period.
Vakulenko claimed the audio was edited
Tetyana Vakulenko emphasized that the audio circulating online is not a complete excerpt from her conversation.
“This audio has been crudely edited; that is, it is not a complete excerpt from my conversation with the other party, instead, the actual conversation has been edited in such a way as to destroy my professional reputation, cause me personal harm, and negatively impact the reputation of the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment, which I head,” Vakulenko stated.
She also denied ever using offensive language toward a potential test-taker or other applicants.
“I emphasize that neither in this conversation nor in any other have I ever used offensive language toward the person mentioned in the recorded conversation or any other test taker,” — noted the head of the UCEA.
The head of the UCEQA is consulting with a lawyer and the police
According to Vakulenko, she has already contacted a lawyer and plans to defend her honor, dignity, and professional reputation in court.
“I have already contacted a lawyer and will certainly defend my honor and dignity in court,” she said.
In addition, the head of the UCEQA stated that she is filing a complaint with the police, as she believes the audio clip that was circulated was deliberately fabricated.
“I am also filing a complaint with the police to protect my honor, dignity, and professional reputation, as the audio clip was deliberately fabricated,” Vakulenko emphasized.
She added that she has a complete set of documents regarding this situation and is ready to do everything to ensure the case receives public attention.
READ ALSO: Lubinets Slams the NMT System After the Scandal in Odesa: Demands Immediate Changes
What caused the conflict
According to Vakulenko, on May 27, the UCEQA Appeals Commission received an application regarding the registration of a potential NMT participant during the additional registration period. The applicant requested that the decision of the regulatory commission at the Kyiv Regional Center for Educational Quality Assessment be overturned and that she be registered to take the test.
The application stated that the girl had allegedly registered during the main registration period but was unable to complete the procedure due to system issues. Vakulenko asserts that there were no technical issues with the registration service during that period.
“There were no technical or other issues with the registration service throughout the entire period,” she stated.
The head of the UCEQA noted that confirmation of successful registration is the ability to generate an NMT participant certificate in one’s personal account. It is this document that confirms registration and grants admission to the temporary testing center.
What the UCEQA system data showed
According to Vakulenko, the UCEA checked the system’s log data regarding the applicant’s activity on the registration service.
According to this data, the girl created her first account on March 8, 2026, at 00:04:15. She partially filled out the information but did not upload a document confirming completion of general secondary education in 2026, nor did she submit the information to the regional center for processing.
Vakulenko noted that during the main registration period, she logged into this account only once—on March 8 at 9:08:23.
“In essence, the registration was not completed, as the applicant did not confirm her intention to participate in the NMT by submitting documents for processing,” she explained.
Because of this, according to the head of the UCEAA, there were no grounds for the regional center to process the materials, and the applicant’s account was deleted on April 29, 2026.
During the additional registration period, on May 11, the applicant created a new account, uploaded all required documents, and submitted them for processing to the Kyiv Regional Center for Educational Quality Assessment.
On June 2, the UCEA Appeals Commission reviewed the May 27 appeal and denied it.
Vakulenko explained why the NMT rules must be the same for everyone
The head of the UCEA emphasized that registration for the NMT takes place in accordance with the approved procedure, and decisions on appeals are made not by a single official but by a collegial body.
“I do not have the authority to make unilateral decisions on such matters; collegial bodies such as the Appeals Commission are created for this purpose,” Vakulenko noted.
She emphasized that standardized educational assessments must be based on clear rules.
“Strict adherence to the procedures for registering and conducting the NMT may seem like a mere formality to some, but standardized educational assessments must always be based on clear norms and rules—it is these that guarantee the transparency and fairness of such assessments, and an equal approach to all participants in the process,” she stated.
A Call After the Appeals Commission’s Decision
According to Vakulenko, on June 5, a third party contacted her via messenger asking her to explain the situation. She reported that the appeals commission had already decided to deny the appeal.
After that, she received a call from a man who, according to Vakulenko, introduced himself as Yegor and claimed to represent the applicant’s interests. For nearly 10 minutes, he insulted the director of the UCEQA, pressured her, mentioned Minister Oksen Lisovyi, and threatened her with dismissal and the destruction of her reputation.
“Instead, I methodically explained to this person the reasons for the negative decision by the UCEAA Appeals Commission—the sole collegial body authorized to make decisions on all matters concerning the administration of the National Multidisciplinary Test,” — Vakulenko wrote.
Where, according to Vakulenko, the profanity came from
Separately, Vakulenko explained that the mention of profanity did not pertain to her attitude toward the potential EIT participant, but rather to screenshots of correspondence that were submitted as evidence with the appeal.
According to her, in these screenshots, the teenagers were communicating in Russian and using profanity toward one another.
“While communicating with a person who introduced himself as Mr. Yegor, I asked why the evidence that the law firm had requested to be included in the appeal included screenshots of the teenagers’ correspondence containing profanity,” she explained.
Vakulenko stated that she did not record the conversation herself, but is convinced that the person who distributed the fragmented audio may have the full version of the recording.
The UCEQA is requesting documents regarding the applicant’s family status
Vakulenko also added that following this incident, several influential individuals, including a sitting member of parliament in the Verkhovna Rada, approached her asking to “resolve the issue.” They argued that the applicant is the daughter of a soldier missing in action.
The head of the UCEQA noted that such information was not present in the official documents and called for it to be provided officially, as the Center always takes such extenuating circumstances into account.
“If this is the case, I appeal to the interested parties who know who we are talking about to provide the UCEA with confirmation of this information. We at the UCEA take such facts into account,” Vakulenko stated.
There is no place for “alternative” approaches in the NMT
In her statement, Vakulenko emphasized that neither she nor other UCEE officials make decisions in the interests of “chosen children” and do not use informal mechanisms to retain their positions.
“I hereby declare that neither I nor other UCEA officials ‘take any measures’ to retain our positions and help ‘chosen children’…. I understand that ‘following the rules’ during wartime sometimes sounds formal and heartless, but they are important for the system to function properly, so that all participants have equal rights and equal chances for admission. Failure to follow the rules leads to situations well-known to many from the 1990s, where those with more connections have more rights. Apparently, there are still people who think that such methods work to this day. No,” Vakulenko concluded,” she noted.
She also addressed those sharing the audio clip, asking them to critically verify the information and view the situation through the lens of the law.
“I will defend both my honor and dignity, and the honor and dignity of the cause in which I and my colleagues believe,” concluded the head of the UCEQA.
