The Cuban regime officially announced a new salary scale for teachers in the General and Secondary Education System on Tuesday through the , published in Official Gazette No. 8 Special Edition.
According to the regulation, the base salary for teachers and professors with higher education is set at 7,735 CUP per month (Group XIX of the salary scale), while teachers with higher technical education will receive 6,740 CUP (Group XVI) and those with secondary education, 6,130 CUP (Group XIV).
The measure came into effect on July 1, 2026, although workers will receive it in the August payroll, according to what was published in the Official Gazette.
The resolution is part of the package of 176 Economic and Social Transformations approved by the National Assembly on June 19, 2026, and presented by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz. It also raises the state minimum wage from 2,100 to 3,210 CUP per month—a nominal increase of approximately 53%—benefiting over a million workers in the budgeted sector in areas such as Health, Education, Culture, and Public Administration.
The text of Resolution 18/2026 itself justifies the change, stating that "the approved Economic and Social Transformations mandate an increase in salaries in the budgeted sector, making it necessary to modify the salary structure of the General and Secondary Education System in order to implement the approved increases."
In addition to the base salary, the regulation stipulates monthly additional payments based on the teaching category: 750 CUP for Expert Teacher, 500 CUP for Senior Specialist Teacher, and 250 CUP for Specialist Teacher.
Bonuses for years of service are also maintained: 1,000 CUP after five years, 1,400 CUP after ten years, and 1,800 CUP after 15 years of work.
Teachers serving as Guide Professors in secondary and upper secondary education will receive a group with higher complexity than that of their position, and an additional payment of 1,000 CUP will be maintained for working in pre-university vocational institutes of exact sciences.
It is important to note that resolutions 15, 17, 18, and 23, all dated July 15, 2026, were initially published in the ordinary edition No. 60 on July 17 with inaccurate data. The Gaceta clarified that "inaccurate data was mistakenly recorded by the issuing body, which needs to be corrected for better understanding and application," which is why this special corrected edition was issued.
The total cost of the wage reform for the state budget is estimated at around 42.5 billion pesos.
However, the increase comes amid a severe educational and economic crisis. Cuba faces a deficit of at least 24,000 teachers nationwide —equivalent to 12.5% of teaching positions— due to migratory exodus, migration to the private sector, and historically low salaries.
In Camagüey, for the 2025-2026 academic year, more than 2,000 teachers were missing, directly affecting approximately 98,000 enrolled students.
The accumulated inflation since the Tarea Ordenamiento in January 2021 has exceeded 200%, and the estimated monthly basic basket ranges between 25,000 and 50,000 CUP, far above the new maximum teacher salary of 7,735 CUP. In April 2026, a primary school teacher reported earning only 3,000 CUP per month, which is equivalent to between six and ten dollars at the informal exchange rate.
The nominal increase, while significant on paper, does not compensate for the real deterioration of the purchasing power of Cuban teachers, who will continue to receive salaries far below the actual cost of living on the Island.
Related videos:
Filed under: