Government allocated tens of billions to communities for increased teacher salaries

The Cabinet of Ministers distributed UAH 57.4 billion of educational subvention among local budgets for September–December 2026. The funds should ensure timely payment of salaries to teachers considering the next average increase of 20% from September.

Another UAH 0.5 billion is provided in the reserve to address urgent issues that may arise during the financing of educational institutions. To ensure the new stage of salary increase, the government redistributed UAH 25.8 billion to the budget program of the educational subvention.

The Ministry of Education and Science noted that distributing the subvention immediately until the end of the year gives communities the opportunity to plan expenses for teachers' salaries and make payments in a timely manner.

At the same time, the Cabinet of Ministers changed certain parameters of the formula according to which the educational subvention is distributed among communities. From September 1, the maximum estimated class size for primary school is set at no more than 24 students.

The new norm will primarily affect large cities and communities where the estimated class size previously exceeded 24 students. For communities where this indicator already stood at 24 students or less, the calculation procedure will not change.

Reducing the maximum class size will allow the formula to take into account a larger number of estimated classes and, accordingly, more accurately determine the needs of communities for funds for teachers' salaries.

In addition, from September, all hours of the curriculum that have not been funded since the beginning of the full-scale invasion are returned to the subvention calculation formula. The Ministry of Education and Science explained that these are hours necessary for students to fully master the state standard of education.

The ministry expects that the changes will make school financing more predictable for communities and allow better consideration of the peculiarities of organizing education in primary grades.

Based on materials: Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine