The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 1286, which postponed the implementation of the previous decision on raising the minimum salary of teachers to the level of four subsistence minimums. This means that the promised salary increase for educators will take place only after the end of martial law and only for the next year after that.
The resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers provides for the suspension of the decision, adopted back in July 2019, for an indefinite period of time. The resolution states:
"To suspend the effect of Resolution No. 822 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated July 10, 2019, from January 1, 2025 until the end of the calendar year following the year in which martial law was suspended or abolished."
Supplements instead of raises
In order to at least somehow compensate for the postponement of salary increases, the Cabinet of Ministers established monthly supplementary payments to teachers for special working conditions:
- From January 1, 2025 — in the amount of UAH 1,300 ;
- From September 1, 2025 until the end of the calendar year in which martial law will be abolished, in the amount of UAH 2,600 .
Only secondary school teachers who work in state and communal educational institutions will receive these supplements. Teachers of pre-school, out-of-school and vocational education do not fall under the influence of this resolution, and they are not subject to additional payments.
The reaction of the Ministry of Education and Culture
The Ministry of Education and Science (MES) of Ukraine reported that it is working to make allowances available to all educators. According to the Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovoy, the issue of teachers' salaries and support is one of the priorities for the government, in particular during the war.
"Teachers' salaries in schools should be decent, and the government is working on finding additional resources to financially support educators, even in difficult conditions," the minister said.
Despite a certain increase in the average salary in Ukraine for the first half of 2024 by more than 20%, educators remain among the lowest paid workers in the country, with an average salary of about 14 thousand. UAH For comparison, specialists in the financial sector and workers in the IT sector receive the highest salaries.
The increase of the minimum salary for teachers to the level of four living wages will not take place before the year following the end of martial law. The government relies on top-up payments as a temporary means of support, but the exact date of the introduction of the new salaries remains unknown, which continues to keep educators in a state of uncertainty.
