News

27 April 2026

Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva called for urgent measures to safeguard the rights of high school seniors during the upcoming state graduation exams, following a Supreme Administrative Court ruling to repeal provisions of Ordinance No. 11 related to the evaluation of exam results.

In an opinion to the Minister of Education Prof. Sergei Ignatov, she expresses concern that the current situation could jeopardize the smooth administration of the high school graduation exams due to the lack of clear and transparent procedures to replace the repealed regulations.

The Ombudsman emphasizes that high school graduation exams are of crucial importance for the future education and professional development of graduating students; therefore, the procedures must comply with the principles of legality, transparency, and the protection of citizens’ rights.

In this regard, she recommends that the Ministry of Education and Science take timely action to address the situation through regulatory measures and restore legal certainty in the administration of the State Final Examinations, so as to guarantee high school graduates’ right to access their graded exam papers through a clear and uniformly applicable procedure throughout the country, including the possibility of having grades reviewed under clear rules, deadlines, and guarantees of objectivity.

In her opinion, Delcheva further urges the ministry to ensure transparency in the process of administering, grading, and announcing the results of the current exam session, as well as to provide timely and public information to students, parents, and educators regarding the measures taken.