A significant boost awaits educators in Bulgaria as teacher salaries are set to surge by 8.4% starting January 1, 2024, revealed by the Ministry of Education and Science. This raise comes following the inking of a new collective agreement on December 28, 2023, encompassing the pre-school and school education system.

The accord, signed by Minister of Education and Science Galin Tzokov and education sector stakeholders, underscores the commitment to constructive dialogue in shaping impactful solutions for the education landscape.

The increment marks a tangible change, elevating the minimum basic salary for teachers to BGN 1,853 monthly, applicable across various teaching roles, including resource educators, ICT heads, psychologists, and sports coaches in schools and kindergartens.

Moreover, senior teachers and educators will see their minimum salaries set at BGN 1,911 and BGN 1,985 respectively, while principals and their deputies are poised to receive BGN 2,257 and BGN 2,088 respectively.

The collective agreement extends its reach to encompass salary hikes for both teaching and non-teaching staff, with nearly BGN 290 million allocated from the state budget specifically for the wage increase of educators.

However, Diyan Stamatov, head of the Union of Employers in the Public Education System, expressed concerns over the budget allocation, highlighting that the proposed 4.1% of GDP for education and science represents a slight decrease. Stamatov emphasized that an 8% increase might not sustain the trend of teachers' salaries staying at 125% of the national average, suggesting a higher margin of 15 to 18% for consistency.

As this significant salary raise sets the tone for the new year, educators and stakeholders remain watchful for further developments in Bulgaria's education system.