In the letter, teachers expressed gratitude for the authorities' attention to educational issues and the recent salary increase effective from April 1. However, they are concerned about the existing discrepancies in the wage coefficients for different subjects.
Educators reminded that before the introduction of Resolution No. 181 dated March 30, 2022, salaries did not depend on the subject, and the terms of remuneration were equal for all. The introduction of differences in coefficients has created significant inequality in salaries under similar working conditions.
This situation raises concerns among educators and leads to tension within the staff of educational institutions.“We emphasize that the Labor Code and the principles of trade union activity are based on social justice — equal pay for equal work. This principle is fundamental in the system of labor relations and aims to prevent discrimination against workers,” the appeal states.
Teachers highlighted that their work requires high qualifications, responsibility, and continuous self-development, regardless of the subject.
Every educator, whether a teacher of mathematics, language, history, or natural sciences, makes an equal contribution to the upbringing of the future generation of our country.“We understand that the previous increase in coefficients for certain subjects was aimed at attracting specialists in specific fields. However, this has created a problem — an unjustified differentiation of salaries for workers performing similar jobs,” the teachers noted.
In response to this situation, the teaching community and the Federation of Trade Unions urge the head of the Cabinet:
- to create a working group involving representatives from the Ministry of Education, trade unions, educators, and experts to refine the draft;
- to reconsider the draft resolution, removing differences in wage coefficients for different disciplines;
- to ensure fairer pay conditions based on the principle of equality.
We also consider it important to explore the possibility of introducing a unified basic coefficient for all teachers of general education subjects, to avoid division into "priority" and "non-priority" disciplines, which will ensure fairness and prevent conflicts within the teaching community.
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It is worth noting that the last salary increase for teachers took place in April 2022, when the payment system was changed: now educators receive salaries not by hours but by salary with a limit on workload. Currently, the average salary is about 26,000 soms.The next salary increase is expected in April and October 2026. Teachers report that, according to available data, the increase will mainly affect STEM subjects, although the Ministry of Education denies this.
Humanities educators have repeatedly raised the issue of low coefficients in their salaries.