Teachers point out that the proposed document maintains a significant difference in the salary coefficients between teachers of different subjects, which is also observed in the current government resolution No. 181, adopted on March 30, 2022.
In particular, the salary of a teacher who teaches general education subjects and holds a "bachelor" qualification is 23,232 soms, while teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology receive 27,808 soms. Taking into account various seniority bonuses, the salary difference can reach from 6,900 to 11,500 soms depending on the length of teaching experience.
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At the same time, teachers of different subjects perform a similar volume of work, which includes lesson preparation, grading written assignments, methodological and educational activities, participation in pedagogical councils, and interaction with parents and students.
Previously, before the adoption of resolution No. 181, teachers' salaries did not differ depending on the subject, and the payment conditions were uniform for all teachers.
“The difference in salary coefficients has created a noticeable disproportion in salary levels despite similar workloads. This raises concerns among educators and leads to tension in the labor collectives of educational institutions,” the statement reads.
The authors of the appeal emphasize that the Labor Code of the Kyrgyz Republic and the principles of trade union work are based on the principle of social justice, which implies equal pay for equal value. This principle is the foundation for modern labor relations and aims to prevent discrimination against workers based on various criteria, including the specifics of the work performed when the complexity is equal.
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“The work of educators, regardless of their subject specialization, requires high qualifications, responsibility, resilience, and continuous self-development. Every teacher, regardless of the subject, makes an important contribution to the education and upbringing of future generations,” the educators note.
Although previously increased coefficients for certain subjects were introduced to stimulate the attraction of specialists in specific areas, practice has shown that this has led to significant differentiation in teachers' salaries, which is a problem that needs to be addressed.
The teaching community and the Federation of Trade Unions call for:
- to create a working group involving representatives from the Ministry of Education, trade unions, educators, and experts to refine the draft resolution;
- to reconsider the provisions of the draft concerning differences in salary coefficients between teachers;
- to explore the possibility of introducing fairer salary conditions based on the principle of equal pay for equal work;
- to establish a unified basic salary coefficient for all teachers of general education subjects, without dividing them into “priority” and “non-priority” subjects.
It was previously reported that starting from April 1, 2026, salary increases will affect all teachers regardless of the subject they teach.
