Not all teachers will receive a salary increase in 2026: who will be left behind

In 2026, Ukraine plans to increase salaries for school teachers, but kindergarten teachers and higher education institution lecturers (HEIs) will remain unchanged in payments. This was reported by the head of the parliamentary committee on finance, tax and customs policy Danilo Hetmantsev.

Why teachers and lecturers will not receive significant salary increases in 2026

The head of the parliamentary committee on finance, Danilo Hetmantsev, criticized the government's approach: 

«Increasing teachers' salaries – a positive decision, but it does not concern the workers of preschool institutions and HEI lecturers». 

According to him, the salaries of these categories are tied to the Unified Tariff Scale (ETS), and the salary of the first category will only increase by 275 UAH from January 1, 2026 – to 3470 UAH. This means that kindergarten teachers and lecturers will not receive a significant increase that is promised to school educators.

Current salaries in preschool education:

• Higher category teacher (14th grade, 20 years of experience): 9500 UAH «net» with supplements.

• 11th-grade teacher: 8500 UAH, which equals the minimum wage.

In higher education, the situation is not better:

• HEI assistant: 9680 UAH, at the level of minimum wage.

• Associate professor: 11,860 UAH.

• Professor: 12,630 UAH.

What Hetmantsev proposes

Hetmantsev noted that wages in education lag behind the average salary in other sectors by 50%. For fairness, he suggests providing equal supplements for all educators, regardless of the level of institutions.

In 2024, the average salary in Ukraine was about 18,000 UAH, while in education – significantly lower, making it difficult to attract young professionals. The government promises to review the budget to level the conditions, but Hetmantsev's criticism points to the need for urgent changes.