Unchanging Issue of Low Salaries in Ukrainian Education Sector: Why the Promised 50% Increase Still Fails to Address the Crisis
In Ukraine, the traditional government rhetoric combined with official promises of salary increases for educators has become a routine part of Teacher’s Day celebrations.
This year, as before, the focus was on pledges to raise salaries by nearly 50% next year.
However, behind this high percentage lie deeper problems: the actual amounts teachers receive remain disproportionate to their responsibilities, workload, and living costs.
To grasp the situation better, one must look at concrete figures and compare them to reality.
Currently, the median salary for teachers in 2025 is just 12,500 hryvnias — approximately at or below the living wage, despite teachers’ experience and responsibilities earning much more.
In higher education, the situation is even worse: the base salary for university lecturers is around 10,639 hryvnias, with full professors earning only about 12,909 hryvnias.
These figures are further diminished after considering bonuses and inflation, effectively reducing their value.
Besides financial hardship, teachers and university staff face numerous other challenges, from emotional burnout to societal undervaluing.
Even a promised 50% salary increase in 2026, already announced by the government, will be ineffective without systemic reforms and a shift in how the state values and funds education.
This is not just about numbers — it’s about human dignity, the future of the nation, and its capacity to compete globally.
Education cannot remain in the shadow of reforms and underfunding.
Otherwise, Ukraine risks losing its most precious assets: skilled professionals, talented youth, and its cultural and intellectual future.