Civil Society Calls on Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science to Repeal Requirement Threatening the Safety of Applicants from TOT

Representatives of non-governmental organizations, including East SOS, report that during this year’s higher education admission campaign, they have received numerous reports from applicants and their families. According to these reports, some educational institutions are requiring applicants to provide documents issued by occupation authorities or other materials to prove that they have been residing in temporarily occupied territory (TOT). These may include photographs of specific locations, selfies showing occupation-related symbols or printed materials, geolocation data, and other evidence. The organizations are therefore calling on the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine to immediately discontinue this practice.

The organizations also emphasize that applicants who refuse to provide such materials, or whose evidence is deemed “insufficient” by educational institutions, are being denied admission under the designated quota-2 and are not allowed to take an interview in lieu of the National Multi-Subject Test (NMT).

Human rights organizations consider this practice unacceptable. It creates additional barriers to accessing education and poses a serious threat to the life, health, and safety of applicants from TOT and their families. Such requests may expose people to repression and persecution by occupation authorities, including accusations of treason, espionage, and extremism.

East SOS stresses that the current approach effectively places the state’s interest in verifying an applicant’s residence in TOT above its obligation to ensure the safety of Ukrainian children and young people. Instead, a safe, clear, and transparent mechanism should be introduced for verifying the relevant circumstances. It should rely exclusively on documents and information obtained from Ukrainian state registers and other safe sources.

The full text of the position statement is available below.

Signed by:

• East SOS

• NGO Donbas SOS

• ZMINA Human Rights Center

• NGO Civic Holding GROUP OF INFLUENCE

• NGO Center for Civil Education Almenda

• Crimean Human Rights Group

• NGO Crisis Insight

• Stabilization Support Services Charity Foundation

• NGO CRIMEASOS

• Right to Protection Charitable Foundation

Recently, East SOS explained what changes were introduced by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 953 concerning the mandatory evacuation of children.