Shortage of teachers is likely to reach 108,000 in 2030 - founder of Osvitoria NGO

This was stated by Zoya Lytvyn, founder of the Osvitoria NGO, on the Espreso TV channel.

According to her, the study lasted more than a year and covered Ukrainian teachers, both current and future teachers.

‘Before the full-scale war, there was already a shortage of teachers and a downward trend in the number of teachers. The full-scale invasion has significantly exacerbated this downward trend. According to the most optimistic scenarios, in 2030, the shortage of teachers will reach 108,000 if there are no positive changes,’ Lytvyn said.

However, the main demotivation for teachers is not low pay, which does not correspond to the workload of this profession.

‘The most important demotivation is bureaucracy, many documents that distract from working with students. To solve this problem, we need political will and a clear definition of responsible persons. Our research has shown that there are many structures in Ukraine that justify their existence by checking unnecessary paper journals and other documents. School directors are often forced to duplicate documentation to hedge against possible inspections, which distracts them from their main job,’ she said.

Most young teachers, those under 30, leave the profession because of low pay and bureaucracy. The issue requires systematic work by the ministry, explanations, and communication with education departments and state education quality services that require these documents.

‘Legislative initiatives could improve the quality of teacher education. Young teachers typically go to work with irrelevant knowledge gained at universities. This is a problem not only for teachers, but also for many other professions,’ Lytvyn added.

• On November 8, the government adopted a resolution to increase salaries for Ukrainian teachers in 2025.