The school system in Ukraine is facing a severe shortage of staff: out of 316,000 positions allocated for teachers, only 272,000 are actually filled. Thus, the deficit amounts to 44,000 vacancies, which are temporarily covered through part-time work.
This is reported by Finway
“There are 316,000 positions in the school system, but only 272,000 are actually working. This means that 44,000 are hidden vacancies that are covered by part-time work. This is about 15% of the deficit,” noted Babak.
Reasons for the Teacher Shortage and Salary Levels
Every year, Ukraine trains over 10,000 future teachers, but most of them do not choose to work in schools. The main reason for this trend lies in the low salary levels. Young specialists do not see the possibility of securing housing and planning for the future with salaries ranging from 8,000 to 10,000 hryvnias. According to Serhiy Babak, no government has implemented a radical salary increase for all educators in the last 30 years, as this requires significant financial resources.
This year’s budget allocates about 59 billion UAH for teachers’ salaries — a record amount in the history of independent Ukraine. For the next year, additional funds have already been planned, including an additional 4.8 billion UAH during the budget review.
Budget Priorities and Salary Reform
State funding is directed towards increasing salaries for general secondary education workers, vocational and pre-higher education instructors, as well as scientific and pedagogical staff at universities. Preschool education is funded by communities, while part of vocational education is financed from regional or municipal budgets.
After the first reading of the budget, deputies considered the possibility of fixing teachers’ salaries at three minimum wages, as stipulated by the Law on Education. However, implementing this provision would require approximately 336 billion UAH, while the budget for 2025 allocates only 103 billion UAH for these needs.
Currently, the salary of a young teacher is about 6,200 UAH, and with allowances, it is approximately 8,200 UAH. This level of income does not motivate young specialists to remain in the profession. A model was considered where the salary could be significantly higher, and allowances minimized, allowing young teachers to take home up to 20,000 hryvnias. However, this model was abandoned after consultations.
Instead, starting from January 1, a 30% salary increase for educators is planned, followed by an additional 20% from the current level in September. The Cabinet of Ministers has also been instructed to submit proposals for implementing a new salary system for pedagogical staff to the Verkhovna Rada by September 1.