The government is carrying on with its wage hike programme for teachers as it has promised, bringing teachers’ salaries to 80% of the average wage of degree holders, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday. Gergely Gulyás told a regular press briefing that the government meeting on Wednesday reviewed the situation of public education, ahead of the start of the new school year. With this year’s wage hikes, teachers’ wages have reached 670,000-680,000 forints, Gulyás said. That will be followed by a 21% raise on January 1, 2025, and the trend will continue until 2030, in line with the government’s pledge to keep teacher’s wages at least at 80% of the average salaries of degree holders, he added. The average gross wage of degree holders is expected to be around monthly 1.25 million forints (EUR 3,180) in 2025, and teachers’ wages will be raised to 820,000 forints. “Very optimistic estimates” put teachers’ wages above 1 million forints by early 2027, he said. Public education is of paramount importance for the future, including the prestige and financial appreciation of teachers, Gulyás said. “This is the profession that lays the foundation to the knowledge of future generations of their own homeland and the world around them,” he said.