News

30 November 2022

Ombudsman Diana Kovacheva has put forward amendments before the Parliament which will allow secondary school graduates with poor scores in the matriculation examinations to have an opportunity to re-sit the matriculation examination one time within a year of sitting for the first one – scheduled at the same school.  

Prof. Kovacheva specifically proposes an amendment to Article 132 of the Pre-School and School Education Act and an addition to the provision of Article 68 (1) (2) of the Higher Education Act.

The change in Article 132 of the Pre-School and School Education Act aims to improve the results of secondary school graduates in the matriculation examinations and to expand the possibilities for access to the higher education system.

“The fact that the students who believe that they have not attained sufficiently high scores in the state matriculation examinations do not have a change to improve their result is damaging to their further development. The result in the state matriculation examination is final and decisive when they apply for universities and, respectively, essential to their future,” the Ombudsman notes in the motivation to the bill and adds that the lack of such a possibility has negative consequences when secondary school graduates apply for higher education institutions.

“A certificate will be issued for the new result if it is more favourable. In this regard, an addition is proposed to the provision of Article 68 (1) (2) of the Higher Education Act so that those certificates may be recognised in the application process for higher education institutions,” the Public Advocate notes.