There are no funds in the budget to raise teachers' salaries - Hetmantsev

Local budgets do not have sufficient resources to implement the government's decision to raise the salaries of educators and social workers. This was reported by the head of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on Finance, Taxation, and Customs Policy, Danila Hetmantsev. This is reported by Danila Hetmantsev.

According to Danila Hetmantsev, he was approached by the head of the Association of Frontline Cities and Communities, Igor Terekhov, and representatives of communities who cannot finance new salaries on their own. This refers to the government's decision:

• to increase educators' salaries by 40%;

• to increase social workers' salaries by 2.5 times.

The MP admitted that the step is socially justified, but there is no financial coverage for its implementation, especially in frontline communities.

Salary increases for teachers: why there is a lack of funds

Danila Hetmantsev explained that the list of positions for which increases are provided is broader than the list of institutions financed from the educational subvention. The subvention does not cover the wages of workers:

• early childhood education;

• extracurricular and artistic institutions;

• vocational and technical education;

• social and rehabilitation fields.

As a result, communities are forced to seek additional resources that are currently unavailable.

Changes in the State Budget-2026: what deputies propose

A bill has been registered in parliament proposing changes to the State Budget-2026. The document envisages an increase in general fund revenues by 20 billion UAH due to additional tax revenues from the de-shadowing of the economy. These funds are planned to be directed towards targeted subventions for financing increased salaries.

Earlier, Minister of Education and Science Oksana Lisytska reported that in certain communities, educators did not receive bonuses due to technical reasons, but the issue was promised to be resolved.

From January 1, 2026, an increase in the salaries of employees of general secondary, preschool, and extracurricular education institutions, as well as teachers of vocational schools and colleges, is foreseen at 30%. In December 2025, 92 billion UAH was allocated for these purposes, and at the beginning of January, they were distributed to communities.

Let us remind you that in Ukraine, a pilot program 'Money Follows the Teacher' has been launched, aimed at financially supporting educators for professional development. Within the framework of this initiative, participants will receive 1500 hryvnias for professional development.