The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has submitted amendments to the draft state budget for 2026, proposing that teachers’ base salaries be set at no less than three minimum wages starting September 1, 2026. This was announced by Serhiy Babak, head of the Committee on Education and Science.
“Currently, a young teacher with a 2,000 UAH supplement receives about 8,200 UAH net. We aim for their salary to exceed 19,000 UAH. For the first time, we see a real possibility to achieve this,” Babak said.
The deputy emphasized that the initiative is not just about increasing salaries, but about changing the very system of calculating base pay. Together with colleagues Danylo Hetmantsev and Serhiy Koleboshyn, Babak prepared the relevant amendments to the Law “On the State Budget for 2026.”
“It is important to reform the salary structure for teachers, as numerous allowances and supplements do not solve the problem of low base pay,” Babak explained.
The initiative aligns with Article 61 of the Law of Ukraine “On Education,” which clearly states that the minimum base salary of a teacher should be at least three times the minimum wage.
For context: in 2019, the government under Volodymyr Groysman adopted Resolution No. 822, which planned to gradually raise the base salary to four subsistence minimums by 2023. However, subsequent governments postponed its implementation each year, leaving teachers’ base salaries at a low level.
Experts note that increasing the base salary would not only serve as a financial incentive for teachers, but also help standardize the payment system in education, reduce dependence on various allowances, and increase the attractiveness of the teaching profession for young specialists.
If these proposed changes are approved, the salary of a young teacher could more than double, marking one of the largest pay raises in the past decade and significantly boosting motivation and professional development among educators.
