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Peruvian Government Releases Funds to Cover Overdue Teacher Salary Increases
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The Peruvian government has authorized a transfer of 208,675,888 soles
(approximately $57.7 million USD) to fund overdue teacher salary
increases, a move impacting over half a million educators nationwide. This
isn’t a new raise,but a critical step to fulfill a previously agreed-upon
commitment,averting potential disruptions to the school year and easing
financial strain on teachers who faced a bleak holiday season.
Delayed Payments Affect Hundreds of Thousands of Educators
The funds will cover a 2025 salary increase for teachers, initially promised in two installments, but hampered by regional budget shortfalls.
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The transfer, formalized through Supreme decree No. 318-2025-EF,
originates from the MEF Contingency Reserve and is distributed to the
Ministry of Education (minedu) and the 25 regional governments. -
The funds are intended to cover the differential cost of the increase to
the Full Monthly Remuneration (RIM) for teachers in the Public Teaching
Career, as regulated by Law No. 29944. -
The increase also applies to teachers hired under Law No. 30328, and to
allowances for additional working hours held by those in managerial,
hierarchical positions, or education specialist roles. -
The situation arose as regional governments temporarily reallocated
funds earmarked for December to cover the second tranche of the 2025
salary increase, leaving some teachers and assistants without full
remuneration or bonuses.
Maruja LeyzaquÃa, a teacher and national leader of the Unique Union of
education Workers of Peru (Sutep), clarified that this isn’t a new increase
or a promise for 2026. “It is not an additional increase.It is the increase
that corresponded to November and that the regional governments, assuming
that it was going to reach them anyway, have used their own funds,” leyzaquÃa
explained.
The agreed-upon 2025 salary increase was structured in two tranches of 200
soles each, with the first applied in March. Several regional education
directorates,however,lacked the necessary budget allocation for the second
tranche in November. To bridge the gap, they temporarily reallocated funds
earmarked for December, paying teachers the increase with the expectation of
a government transfer. This created a ripple effect, leaving teachers and
educational assistants without full December remuneration or bonus payments.
Did you know? The situation was notably acute in the
Loreto region, where teachers in the provinces of Maynas, Requena, and
Caballococha staged protests due to the lack of payments.
“Teachers and education assistants have spent Christmas without their salaries
and this is due to the irresponsibility of the Ministry of Economy in not
sending the corresponding amounts in a timely manner,” LeyzaquÃa stated. She
reported that teachers in Maynas were left with “practically zero soles” for
the holiday season,exacerbating debt and financial insecurity.
Funds to Benefit Over 500,000 Teachers
According to the decree, the MEF transfer will benefit 503,149 teachers
nationwide, covering both the RIM increase and assignments for managerial,
hierarchical, and supervisory positions. These amounts were
