Teachers' Salaries to Increase in 2026: Why Preschool Educators and Higher Education Instructors Will Remain Unchanged.

According to inkorr.com: In 2026, Ukraine plans to raise salaries for school teachers; however, preschool educators and higher education instructors will remain without significant changes in payments. This was announced by the head of the parliamentary committee on finance, taxation, and customs policy Danilo Hetmantsev.

Why Preschool Educators and Higher Education Instructors Will Not Receive Salary Increases in 2026

Hetmantsev criticized the government's approach:

“Increasing teachers' salaries is a positive decision, but it does not apply to preschool facility workers and higher education instructors.”

He noted that the salaries of these categories of employees are tied to the Unified Tariff Scale (UTS), and the salary of the first grade will increase by only 275 UAH – to 3470 UAH, starting from January 1, 2026. This means that preschool educators and instructors will not receive the substantial increase promised to school teachers.

Current salaries in preschool education:

• Higher category educator (14th grade, 20 years of service): 9500 UAH “net” with bonuses.

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

In higher education, the situation is not much better:

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

• Associate professor: 11,860 UAH.

• Professor: 12,630 UAH.

What Hetmantsev Proposes

Hetmantsev emphasized that salaries in education lag behind the average salary in other sectors by 50%. To create fair conditions, he proposes to provide equal bonuses for all educators, regardless of the level of educational institution.

In 2024, the average salary in Ukraine was about 18,000 UAH, while in education it was significantly lower, which complicates attracting young professionals. The government promises to review the budget to balance conditions, but Hetmantsev’s criticism highlights the need for urgent changes.

Considering this situation, raising salaries only for school teachers may create additional inequality among education workers. Open budget policy questions require urgent resolution to maintain the professional community and make education attractive to young specialists.