The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine is implementing a new salary payment system for educators, which not only includes salary increases but also a significant change in the principles of their calculation. The changes will affect school teachers, kindergarten educators, and instructors at vocational education institutions. The new system will be introduced gradually, depending on the overall economic and security situation in the country.
This is reported by Finway
Key Principles of the New Model
According to the Ministry, the salaries of Ukrainian teachers currently remain among the lowest in the public sector, surpassed only by those in the cultural sector. Increasing salaries in this field is currently a significant challenge for the state budget.
“A lot depends on the changing situation in our country when it comes to resolving this issue. Globally, this is about the security component, as it will affect the structure of our state budget and whether the humanitarian sector and education will continue to be funded, including by taxpayers from other countries rather than Ukrainians,” said the Deputy Minister.
The new model will take into account not only the hours of lessons taught but also other types of work that educators currently perform without additional pay. It is planned to introduce a conditional 36- or 40-hour workweek with corresponding pay, similar to practices in many countries around the world. This will allow for compensation for responsibilities that are currently not paid separately, in addition to traditional bonuses for class supervision.
Implementation Timeline and Funding
The ministry emphasizes that they would like to start implementing the new system before 2027. The main tasks for 2025 include determining the final model of the reform, and in 2026, taking the first steps towards its implementation.
To achieve an average teacher salary of 24,000 hryvnias, approximately 200 billion hryvnias of additional funding is needed. The minimum guaranteed salary for educators, established by law as three minimum wages, is currently postponed due to limited budgetary capabilities.
The reform aims not only to increase the income level of educators but also to ensure fair compensation for the entire range of tasks they perform, which will contribute to enhancing the prestige and quality of pedagogical work in Ukraine.