The Ministry of Education and Science has referred the prosecutor's office with a request to clarify the form of education of the 15-year-old student from the private school "Kosmos", who was among the victims found at the foot of Mount Okolchitsa, NOVA reported.
This was announced by the acting Minister of Education and Science Sergey Ignatov during a hearing before the deputies of the relevant parliamentary committee.
According to him, the ministry's inspection has identified a number of ambiguities regarding the boy's education. “The student studied in Mexico for the fourth and fifth grades. We have no information about the sixth grade. Suddenly he appears in the seventh grade. At the moment, we do not have documents on how he was enrolled and what exactly happened“, Ignatov commented to BNR.
The MES inspection also showed that the student was simultaneously in two different forms of education - regular and independent.
“The question to which we do not have an answer yet is how it is possible to exist in two forms of education simultaneously. If the student is in an independent form, there is no need to excuse his absences. The school and the principal made an attempt through the Regional Education Department to obtain permission, but there was no reaction“, the minister explained.
He specified that the transition to an independent form of education takes place after a decision by a special commission and is allowed only under certain circumstances - for example, in the case of exceptional abilities or health reasons.
According to Ignatov, the referral to the prosecutor's office aims to clarify all the circumstances surrounding the case.
“The easiest answer would simply be to close or deregister this school. But based on the information we collect, we will have the tools to begin a broader check on the system – whether similar practices are occurring elsewhere in the country,“ the minister added.