The Ministry of Education and Science presented a reform plan: teachers will be removed from the general system of state employees, and allowances will be “sewn” into salaries so that local authorities cannot save on teachers’ salaries.
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has reached the finish line in developing a mechanism for a phased increase in teachers’ incomes. After the January increase of 30%, in the fall of 2026 the industry will face the second stage of reform, which will change the very structure of money accrual, making them more protected from decisions of local authorities. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Education and Science, Dengi.ua reports. The PromPolitInform portal informs.
The new model was presented to the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada. According to Minister Oksen Lisovy, the main goal is not just to “add numbers”, but to guarantee teachers a stable income.
Schedule for increasing teachers’ salaries in 2026
The current year will be a record year in terms of salary growth in the education sector. The government is adhering to a two-step strategy:
January 1, 2026: salaries have already increased by 30%.
September 1, 2026: the second stage is planned – an increase of another 20%.
In parallel, the ministry is preparing the ground for 2027, when the remuneration system is planned to be completely rebooted, moving away from the old Soviet principles.
How the structure of teachers’ salaries will change: three main innovations
The Ministry of Education proposes to change the logic of accruals so that the total amount of payment becomes fixed and cannot be reduced at the community level due to cuts in allowances.
- Integration of the “prestige” allowance into the salary Today, the “prestige” allowance often depends on the goodwill of local authorities. The ministry proposes to “sew” it into the basic salary. This will turn the variable part of the salary into a state-guaranteed payment.
- New rules for additional payments for unfavorable conditions For all school teachers, the basic additional payment of 2,000 hryvnias will be made part of the salary.
For teachers in front-line and border communities who work full-time, an additional allowance of 2,000 hryvnias on top of the updated salary will remain (the total support will be 4,000 hryvnias).
- Exit from the Unified Tariff Grid (UTG) This is a key systemic change. Currently, a teacher’s salary is tied to the UTG, common to all state employees. Because of this, any increase in a teacher’s salary requires enormous resources for the entire budget sphere at once.
Teachers will receive their own flexible grid. Salaries will be tied to the minimum wage, which will allow the government to increase teachers’ incomes point-by-point, based on budget capabilities.
Opinion of the relevant department and further steps of the Ministry of Education and Science
Deputy Minister Anastasia Sofienko emphasized that the mechanism will be further developed together with trade unions and community representatives. It is important that the solution is financially feasible for local budgets that maintain kindergartens, colleges and after-school institutions.
The final version of the reform will be presented after extensive discussions with heads of universities and people’s deputies. The main task for 2027 is to make the teaching profession financially attractive for young specialists.
