Education Ministry still finalizing 2026 teacher pay raise plans – Lisovyi
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine is still developing a mechanism by which it is planned to increase teachers' salaries in 2026, Minister Oksen Lisovyi has said.
"We have an additional amount of UAH 53 billion in the project. Today, we are working with the government on a mechanism by which these funds will be used to increase salaries," Lisovyi told reporters on Thursday in Kyiv, answering a question about the mechanism by which the announced phased increase in teachers' salaries in 2026 will be carried out.
He added that the increase has already been declared, and the issue of mechanics will be presented before the vote on the draft state budget for 2026 in parliament.
"We will have a mechanism by which we make the increase: whether we go deep into the salary structure or create a simpler model. We will announce this later," the minister said.
When asked by Interfax-Ukraine whether the existing "teacher supplement" (UAH 2,000/month) will be preserved in parallel with the increase in teachers' salaries in 2026, Lisovyi noted: "As for whether the supplement that we have today will be preserved, that's what we're talking about, what the future structure of salary increases will be. We're working on it now." The minister added that a certain delay in forming a new mechanism for supplements is related, in particular, to how to cover vocational and technical and professional pre-higher education institutions.
As reported, on September 5, Lisovyi stated that currently the state budget does not have sufficient funds to implement the article of the "Law on Education" regarding the remuneration of pedagogical and scientific-pedagogical workers.
On September 16, Minister of Education Lisovyi announced that the draft state budget for 2026 provides for a 50% increase in the average salary for teachers. In particular, from January 1 by 30% and from September 1 by another 20%.
According to the government decision adopted in November 2024, it was established that teaching staff of state and municipal general secondary education institutions will receive a monthly supplement for special working conditions in the amount of UAH 1,300 (UAH 1,000 "in cash") from January 1, 2025. From September 1, 2025 and until the end of the calendar year in which martial law is terminated or canceled, this payment will be UAH 2,600 (UAH 2,000 "in cash").
