–846 teachers who studied on 2 billion MNT government scholarship not working in the field– 

“My older sister is an elementary school teacher. I also dreamed of becoming a teacher and chose this profession. I’ve always thought teachers are sociable and kind people. It’s wonderful to share what you’ve learned with others—especially young children. I study on a government scholarship. According to the contract, I must maintain a GPA of 2.7 or higher, so I study hard,” said A.Otgontsetseg, a second-year student at the School of Teacher Education of the Mongolian National University of Education (MNUE) from Manlai soum of Umnugovi Province.

There are many ordinary young people like her who have dreamed of becoming teachers since childhood, love their profession, and study it with passion. On the other hand, since the government now covers tuition fees, has the demand for teacher-training programs increased? And will the government policy aimed at solving the teacher shortage actually be fulfilled?

According to Government Resolution No. 103 of 2024, a regulation was approved to provide financial support for teachers, teacher-training students, and children of teachers and education staff who study in priority and high-demand professions. In other words, under the list of in-demand professions approved by the government in 2023, preschool, elementary education, mathematics, information technology, chemistry, biology, physics, geography, special-needs, and music teachers are among the top priorities. Under this resolution, the government pays the tuition fees of students who study in these fields—if they themselves are teachers, or the children of teachers and education staff—based on a “strict” contract that binds them to study responsibly.

However, the Minister of Education P.Naranbayar recently announced that more than 800 graduates who studied under this support have failed to fulfill their contractual obligations and are not working as teachers. Where did they go? Why are they not working in their profession

ONLY 2 NURSES HAVE FULFILLED THEIR CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS 

To answer these questions, we contacted the Educational Loan Fund. According to O.Siilegmaa, head of the fund’s working office, “According to Government Resolution No. 103, the Educational Loan Fund finances activities to support teachers and teacher-training students.” The fund is also responsible for requiring students, teachers, and educational institutions to fulfill their contractual obligations, evaluate performance every semester, and ensure compliance.

“In the first half of 2024–2025, 5,873 students studied as teachers or as children of teachers and education staff in high-demand programs. They received a total of 19.7 billion MNT in funding. Currently, 4,145 students who are continuing their studies under renewed contracts have been allocated 15.9 billion MNT. Meanwhile, 846 people who graduated as teachers are not working in their profession. About 2 billion MNT were spent on their tuition fees. For those who fail to fulfill the contract—which requires them to work as teachers for three years in rural areas or five years in Ulaanbaatar City—measures will be taken to make them either return to teaching or repay their tuition costs. At present, we are identifying where these graduates are working and why they have not taken up teaching. A final conclusion has not yet been reached,” said O.Siilegmaa. 

“Moreover, not only teachers but also graduates in other in-demand professions—such as nursing, physical and occupational therapy—have failed to work in their field after studying on scholarships. In total, contracts for about 13,000 students who studied in domestic universities will be reviewed. We will first contact them individually, then conduct hearings, and if necessary, take the matter to court,” she further explained.

In essence, those who fulfill their contractual obligations do not have to repay their tuition. Yet, as this shows, many people who studied in priority fields such as teaching or nursing are not working in their professions.

For example, in the first half of 2024–2025, 1,849 nursing students received a total of 3 billion MNT in funding from the Educational Loan Fund. Unfortunately, only two of them have completed their contracts—that is, fulfilled their obligations. Meanwhile, 483 nursing graduates who studied on scholarships totaling 776 million MNT are not working in their profession, according to the fund. From this, it appears that the government’s decision has not quite hit the target.

SALARY NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE ENDS MEET

The training programs, quality, and value of the MNUE—which alone produces 49 percent of the teachers “supplied” to the market — are inevitably tied to how teachers are currently valued.

According to MNUE president and professor J.Batbaatar, the main reason why graduates who studied for free with government support for four years do not work in their field after graduation is directly related to low salaries.

“Universities’ teacher training systems are functioning normally, and student enrollment is strong enough. However, after graduation, the problem is that the workforce’s social and financial valuation is poor. Because their salaries are insufficient to sustain daily living, they simply choose not to work,” he stated clearly.

Teachers have now been on strike for more than ten days, aiming to raise their salaries to 3.5 million MNT. But even “holding students hostage” with tuition fees cannot solve the shortage of teaching staff. The sector is already suffering from a severe labor shortage and shows no sign of recovery.

In other words, even when the government offers tuition-free study and asks graduates to work in rural areas for three years and in Ulaanbaatar for five years, this plea has proven ineffective. It is well known that the foundation of education and of being human itself begins with kindergarten and primary school teachers. Currently, 22 higher education institutions in Mongolia train primary school teachers. For instance, MNUE’s School of Teacher Education currently has about 360 students studying to become primary teachers and around 50 studying to become music teachers. A similar number of students are admitted each year.

According to Dr. G.Byambatseren, Associate Professor and Director of the school, there has been no dramatic increase in enrollment since the government began covering tuition fees for teacher trainees in 2023. “There is no phenomenon of students ‘fleeing’ from the teaching profession, nor has its social value collapsed. The public often holds the misconception that the lowest-performing or least responsible students enroll in teacher training. That is not true. Our average entrance score is 520, while the Ministry of Education has set the minimum threshold for teacher-training programs at 450–480,” said G.Byambatseren. 

“The government has begun granting tuition scholarships to students in in-demand fields such as teaching, as a policy measure to support the national workforce. This system has existed before—essentially, the state is providing domestic scholarships instead of sending students abroad. However, this is regulated through a contract: if a student’s GPA falls below 2.7, they lose their scholarship. In other words, only those maintaining grades of 80 percent or higher keep full tuition coverage. Offering free tuition alone has not positively impacted enrollment; the numbers remain similar to previous years. According to a recent follow-up study, about 93 percent of our graduates have worked in their field,” the associate professor further stated.

Dr. G.Byambatseren also emphasized that primary education requires not only craftsmanship but also a solid foundation in scientific knowledge. Since primary teachers teach eight to nine subjects, it is impossible to gain these skills in just 45 days of training; therefore, the university does not train primary teachers through such short-term programs.

When asked why graduates choose not to work in their field, the director explained, “First and foremost, teaching requires heart—a love for children. Someone motivated purely by money cannot be a teacher. With a salary of only 1.4 million MNT, only those with true passion will stay. But honestly, how can teachers work properly if they can’t even afford decent shoes?”

TUITION EXEMPTION IS NO LONGER AN EFFECTIVE INCENTIVE 

Globally, education is evolving toward inclusiveness, interpersonal skills, technology integration in teaching methods, lifelong learning, and emotional intelligence—adapting to the changing learning habits of modern students.

Of over 12,000 primary school teachers currently working nationwide, around 7,000 are graduates of MNUE’s School of Teacher Education. Therefore, the school’s curriculum must be updated if teachers are to keep pace with global education trends.

In response to this need, the university leadership noted that they have incorporated new subjects into the curriculum, including coding, digital teaching methodology, soft skills, and socio-emotional learning.

Additionally, under the national program to start English language education from grade three, MNUE has begun training primary teachers with English proficiency since 2023, admitting students into three different programs. The school also trains primary teacher assistants. Although both public and private universities—including the National University of Mongolia and MNUE—continue to produce teachers year after year, if graduates had all worked in their fields, Mongolia would now have a surplus of teachers rather than a shortage.

Since tuition-free education is funded by taxpayers, graduates are expected to honor their contractual obligation to work in their profession. If they prefer to choose their own workplace, declining to work in rural or public schools, they should pay their tuition privately. Tuition exemption, it seems, has not proven to be an effective incentive. Unless a more effective strategy is found to fill the gaps in the education sector, Mongolia risks becoming a country without teachers.