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At the request of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, advocate Pawe\u0142 Osik works on a case of students from Ostrowiec \u015awi\u0119tokrzyski. Four years ago, the results on the chemistry maturity exam of more than 50 high school students in this town were annulled. The students were accused of cheating. \u201cFor those students, annulling the results of the exam had dire consequences. Without an opportunity to appeal this decision, the students were not able to apply for studies, and their plans for the upcoming years became unrealistic,\u201d says advocate Pawe\u0142 Osik.<\/p>\n
According to advocate Pawe\u0142 Osik, it should be a standard that students have the right to initiate a procedure of external verification of exam results. \u201cIt is the law maker\u2019s obligation to take into account the fact that mistakes in assessment can occur and it is necessary to guarantee a procedure for questioning erroneous decisions,\u201d advocate Pawe\u0142 Osik stated.<\/p>\n
Appealing against maturity exam results is made more difficult by the fact that the law, among others, does not create an opportunity to freely access exam documentation. In advocate Pawe\u0142 Osik\u2019s view, it is an odd situation. \u201eAs a defense counsel, I have access to, for example, confidential documents which have been gathered in the course of proceedings. Access to those documents is clearly regulated,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen it comes to appealing the results of the maturity exam, the situation is completely different. Students can only review their work, they cannot however take pictures or make notes,\u201d advocate Pawe\u0142 Osik explains.<\/p>\n
In 2013, the group of students from Ostrowiec \u015awi\u0119tokrzyski filed complaints with the Constitutional Tribunal. The case is pending. \u201cUntil now, the law makers have taken no action to introduce a procedure for appealing the results of the maturity exam. I hope that the Constitutional Tribunal will, as fast as possible, consider this problem and that the ruling will assess the unconstitutionality of those regulations,\u201d says advocate Pawe\u0142 Osik.<\/p>\n