Ministry of Education Analyzes Increase in Hourly Pay for Teachers

Minister of Education and Research, Mihai Dimian, announced that the authorities are looking for solutions to increase the hourly pay rate in education, starting this fall, in the context of pressures in the system and debates regarding the real workload of teachers. According to the official, during this period the financial resources necessary for a possible increase in the rate are being evaluated.

"We are trying to identify the amounts necessary to increase this rate from the fall. It is important to have an honest discussion about the involvement of teachers in general activities," the minister said, on the sidelines of an event organized by the Presidential Administration. He rejected the perception that teachers' activity is limited to teaching hours, emphasizing that the real program is more complex.

• Debate on the real workload of teachers

The minister stated that a study conducted at the ministry level highlights the involvement of teachers in activities carried out outside of class hours, including lesson preparation, homework correction or training activities. In this context, the Ministry of Education and Research has proposed to the unions a new job description for teachers, which would clearly reflect the total number of hours worked, including those outside of school. "We need to identify how many hours are dedicated to preparation, assessment or other activities, in order to have a complete picture to present to society," explained Dimian.

• Possible increase of up to 50%, conditional on the budget

The minister indicated that, this month, the institution paid approximately 254 million lei for older court decisions, an amount that, under other conditions, could have allowed a significant increase in the hourly rate. "This amount could have supported an increase of approximately 50%, but differentiated,” the official said. However, the implementation of such a measure depends on budgetary constraints and possible savings identified in the system.

• Differentiated adjustments and prioritization

The Head of Education stressed that any increase could be applied differentiatedly, depending on the specific needs of the system, which vary depending on disciplines and levels of education. The authorities are also considering budgetary redistributions or supplements in the second half of the year, to support the increase in fees. The discussions on hourly pay come against the backdrop of dissatisfaction in the education system related to salaries and the recognition of the real workload of teachers. The ministry is thus trying to build a more transparent and well-founded approach to establishing remuneration, in parallel with the necessary budgetary adjustments.