The Ukrainian education system has a high level of staffing, primarily with teaching, academic and research personnel. In Ukraine, teaching and learning mean intellectual and creative professional activities carried out by teachers, academic staff, researchers and, in some cases, self-employed educators. These activities take place within both the formal and non-formal education systems and aim to teach, educate and support the development of the individual, as well as to foster their general cultural, civic and/or professional competences.
This definition is set out in the Law of Ukraine on Education (закон України ‘Про освіту’) and applies to all levels of education. Teaching is recognised as a socially important profession that requires continuous professional development and adherence to ethical standards. Teaching and learning are socially significant professional activities that require continuous professional development and adherence to ethical standards.
Pedagogical workers are individuals who carry out teaching activities in educational institutions or work as self-employed professionals. Pedagogical workers include, in particular:
- teachers and lecturers,
- educators,
- vocational training instructors,
- methodologists,
- heads of clubs and other forms of extracurricular learning,
- school psychologists and social pedagogues.
Scientific-pedagogical workers are employed in higher education institutions and combine teaching activities with research. They include:
- professors,
- associate professors,
- senior lecturers,
- assistants,
- research staff who carry out teaching activities.
Each category has a clear legal basis. The key laws include the Laws of Ukraine on Education, on Higher Education (‘Про вищу освіту’), on Vocational Education (‘Про професійну освіту’), on Complete General Secondary Education (‘Про повну загальну середню освіту’), and on Early Childhood Education (‘Про дошкільну освіту’),along with other subordinate legal acts.
Pedagogical workers have labour, social and professional rights defined by law. These include academic freedom, the right to professional development, participation in the management of an educational institution, and the protection of professional honour and dignity.
Pedagogical and scientific-pedagogical staff must hold a higher education degree of the appropriate level. For work in the general secondary education system, there is usually a requirement for a bachelor or master degree in education or a relevant subject area. For scientific-pedagogical staff, a master degree and, as a rule, an academic degree (Candidate/PhD or Doctor of Sciences) are mandatory. Currently, for certain professional categories and positions in the education sector, there are corresponding professional standards that define qualification requirements. Examples include the standards for professions such as ‘Arts School Teacher (by type of subject)’ (Про затвердження професійного стандарту ‘Викладач мистецької школи (за видами навчальних дисциплін’), ‘Higher Education Institution Lecturer’ (Професійний стандарт ‘Викладач закладу вищої освіти’), ‘General Secondary Education Teacher’ (Професійний стандарт ‘Вчитель закладу загальної середньої освіти’), and others.
There is a requirement for all pedagogical workers to undergo professional development at least once every five years, which is a condition for periodic attestation or certification. Forms of professional development may include courses, trainings, internships, webinars and other forms of non-formal education. Certification (Сертифікація педагогічних працівників) is a voluntary alternative to attestation for teachers. It involves an independent external assessment of professional competence, and its results may be used for pay and career advancement.
Educational institutions recruit pedagogical and scientific-pedagogical workers through an open competition. Employment conditions follow the Labour Code of Ukraine (Кодекс законів про працю України), the collective agreements of educational institutions (EI), and other special regulatory legal acts. Appointments may be either permanent or fixed-term under a contract, including for university faculty members.
The remuneration conditions for teaching and research-teaching staff in Ukraine are regulated by the Unified Tariff Scale (Про оплату праці працівників на основі Єдиної тарифної сітки розрядів і коефіцієнтів з оплати праці працівників установ, закладів та організацій окремих галузей бюджетної сфери), the Sectoral Agreement between the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Trade Unions of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine for the relevant period, and the collective agreements of educational institutions. Salaries depend on the level of education, the position of the teaching or research-teaching staff member, their qualification category, work experience, and teaching workload. Additionally, supplements may be granted for the prestige of the work, class leadership, academic degrees, as well as bonuses and financial assistance in accordance with the internal regulations of the educational institution.
Under martial law, international partners and humanitarian donors sometimes support the payment of salaries. The main challenges during martial law include a shortage of teachers and a predominance of staff in pre-retirement and retirement age groups. Additional difficulties arise from the migration of pedagogical and academic staff abroad due to the war, the destruction of educational infrastructure, and other related issues.