In Ukraine, a discussion about teacher pay has flared up with renewed vigor. This time, at the level of people's deputies. The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science, and Innovations insists that in 2026, teachers should receive not symbolic bonuses, but a full-fledged salary increase - at least up to three minimum salaries, i.e. 25,941 hryvnias.
The head of the relevant committee, Serhiy Babak, said that during the final revision of the state budget, the government rejected an amendment that would have significantly increased payments to teachers. According to the Cabinet of Ministers, this would require an additional 20 billion hryvnias, which is currently “impossible to finance.” However, Babak calls these calculations overstated.
According to the committee's calculations, the actual additional need is 7.42 billion hryvnias, which is only 0.15% of the state budget. The reason is that almost half of the funds are returned to the treasury in the form of personal income tax, social security contributions, and military levies.
The deputies place special emphasis on the catastrophic level of pay for young teachers. Currently, a teacher with a standard workload receives only 8,162 hryvnias "in hand". Even after the increase planned by the government in 2026, the net salary will increase to a maximum of 10,845 hryvnias. According to the model proposed by the deputies, a teacher could receive about 20,000 hryvnias after taxes.
The Committee emphasizes that the state graduates over 10,000 new teachers every year, but does not create conditions for them to remain in the profession. As a result, a significant number of young teachers change their field of activity within the first year of work.
The deputies are calling on the government to return to considering the amendment and reconsider budget priorities. In their opinion, without a significant increase in salaries, the education system risks losing an entire generation of specialists.
