"You're allowed to go to the bathroom!": Minister Puchkov responded to parents' complaints about the Unified State Exam (USE)

      June 3, 2026 14:44 Society The Minister of Education of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, Mikhail Puchkov, commented on the complaints from parents that appeared on social media regarding the conditions of the Unified State Exam (USE). According to them, in one of the exam venues, students were allegedly not allowed to go to the restroom for several hours to eliminate the possibility of cheating. One parent claimed that because of this, some graduates were forced to finish their work faster than they had planned, fearing for their well-being and results.

      Unfortunately, the screenshots that include the words of the mother, to whom her daughter complained and lamented that she had to write the exam faster, which could affect the result, do not provide the school or exam venue number. Therefore, it is impossible to verify, confirm, or refute this information, Puchkov wrote on his MAX channel.

      The minister specifically noted that the rules of the state final certification allow for restroom breaks during the exam.

      Of course, one should not abuse this, but no one can hold back or prevent an exam participant from going to the restroom, he stated.

      According to the head of the Ministry of Education, he personally monitors all disputed situations and reviews recordings from surveillance cameras. This year, there have already been cases of participants being removed for phones and cheat sheets, so the overall performance of the audience is evaluated during checks.

      I can say that the students calmly went to the restroom in the classrooms I reviewed, and they were not stopped, the minister added.

      Puchkov reminded that accredited public observers and representatives of the parent community work at the exam venues. If there are any questions or suspicions of violations, one can turn to them.

      It was previously reported that five ninth-graders were removed from the OGE in mathematics for cheating. Two students were caught with cheat sheets during the USE. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has channels on Telegram and MAX. Subscribe to stay updated on the main events, exclusive materials, and timely information. Copyright © 1999—2025 NIA "Nizhny Novgorod". When reprinting, a hyperlink to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" is mandatory. This resource may contain materials 18+