On October 22, the Verkhovna Rada adopted all educational amendments to the draft State Budget for 2026 proposed by the profile committee. This concerns the increase in teachers' salaries and scientific-pedagogical staff of universities. As reported by Telegraph.
The results of the vote were reported by the head of the Committee on Education, Science and Innovation Serhii Babak. According to him, the adopted amendments are aimed at updating the payment system and enhancing the prestige of the teaching profession.
Key changes to the 2026 State Budget regarding education
Among the key changes included in the amendments to the budget:
- Amendment No. 830. Unused balances of the educational subvention as of January 1, 2026, will be directed to the special fund of the Ministry of Education for educational needs.
- Amendment No. 987. The government is obliged to gradually increase teachers' and scientific-pedagogical workers' salaries by 50% starting January 1, 2026.
- Amendment No. 1076. Provides for a new payment model for secondary school teachers.
- Amendment No. 3032. Adds 53.8 billion UAH to the educational subvention to enhance the prestige of teachers' work.
In total, 315 members of the parliament supported the proposals. The next step is for the government to process all amendments by November 5, after which the final voting on the budget will take place in the second reading.
What salaries of educators will be in 2026
Taking the 2025 salaries (after a planned 11% increase) as a basis, earnings will rise significantly after the reform. For example:
- a trainee teacher will receive about 13.7 thousand UAH instead of 9 thousand UAH,
- an assistant will receive nearly 14.8 thousand UAH,
- a senior lecturer will receive over 17 thousand UAH,
- an associate professor will receive about 18.1 thousand UAH,
- a professor will receive nearly 19.4 thousand UAH.
The increase will also affect the administrative staff of universities: deans, heads of departments, and vice-rectors will receive 19-22 thousand UAH, while rectors will receive over 23 thousand UAH per month. These are base amounts without considering allowances for experience, academic degree, and bonuses, which universities will determine individually.
The phased implementation means that the increase will occur in parts throughout 2026 - likely in several waves (as has already been done for civil servants). Final deadlines and amounts of allowances will be determined after the budget is adopted in the second reading and the relevant government resolutions are approved.
Earlier, we reported that Hetmantsev proposed to increase the salaries of higher education teachers.