In Russia, there is a push to reduce the bonus portion of teachers’ pay while raising base salaries, a stance echoed by Sergei Kalashnikov, a former minister and renowned economist. The discussion centers on President Vladimir Putin’s directive to boost earnings for teachers in regions where income trails the national average. Kalashnikov argues that the extra pay components—such as bonuses for extended hours, duties beyond standard teaching, and classroom management—sometimes dwarf the base tariff, creating a system that can be manipulated by leadership. He warns that if a manager wants to magnify these supplements, they can do so, and if they do not, they won’t, making compensation depend on the will of the administrator rather than consistent policy. This dynamic, he notes, risks turning additional pay into a tool for control rather than a stable incentive for quality education.
