In Ukraine, the issue of teachers’ salaries remains one of the most pressing in the education sector. Despite the fact that educators’ pay is among the lowest in the country, the possibility of increasing payments is currently not being considered. The main reason for this is the financial constraints of the state budget due to the ongoing full-scale war.
This is reported by Finway
Critical Shortage of Young Teachers and Legislative Norms
The head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science, and Innovation, Serhiy Babak, emphasized that schools are facing a severe shortage of staff, particularly in natural science subjects – physics, chemistry, and biology. The biggest problem lies in the lack of young specialists who almost never come to work in educational institutions. This is due to the low salary level, which does not provide sufficient motivation to start a teaching career.
“The most pressing issue is not even this. Young teachers are hardly coming in. This is a real problem. And its solution is very simple – salary,” explained the MP.
According to legislation, specifically the laws “On Education” and “On Complete General Secondary Education,” the minimum salary of a teacher must be at least three minimum wages. Considering the level of the minimum wage in 2025 (8,000 UAH), this amounts to 24,000 UAH. However, in practice, this norm is postponed every year due to a lack of funds in the state budget. Serhiy Babak emphasizes that only providing decent pay can attract young, motivated specialists to schools.
Additional Payments and Prospects for Increases
Pedagogical staff in general secondary education are entitled to a monthly “teacher’s supplement.” From January 1 to September 1, 2025, the amount of this supplement is at least 1,300 UAH (about 1,000 UAH after taxes), and from September 1 – from 2,600 UAH (2,000 UAH “net”). The amount of the supplement depends on the actual teaching load, which is regulated by Article 24 of the Law “On Complete General Secondary Education.” The calculation formula is as follows:
- 1300 / 18 × number of working hours per week
The Minister of Education and Science, Oksen Lisovyi, reported that in 2026, a further increase in this supplement is possible – by 1,000 UAH from January and another 2,000 UAH from September. However, to implement this plan, it is necessary to find additional funding of 40 billion UAH.