According to statistics released by the Ministry of Education, 23,768 people graduated from higher education institutions, including bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs, in the previous academic year—representing a 13.7 percent decrease compared to the year before. Notably, the number of students majoring in teaching has declined, and the country is now facing a nationwide shortage of teaching staff.

The shortage of teachers has become a “headache” not only for the education sector but for the country as a whole. In response, the government adopted Resolution No. 103 in 2024, approving regulations to provide state support for teachers, students majoring in teaching, and the children of teachers to study in priority and in-demand fields. As a result, tuition fees for students enrolled in teacher-training programs at universities and colleges have been fully waived. In other words, it is now possible to obtain a teaching degree free of charge.

The main requirement is that students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.7. If this requirement is not met, state funding for tuition will be discontinued and students must pay the fees themselves. This decision has been heavily criticized by the public, with some arguing that it devalues the teaching profession. However, at a time when children and young people are increasingly uninterested in becoming teachers; especially kindergarten and primary school teachers; there seems to be no other way to prevent the situation from worsening.

Officials have also noted that enrollment has declined even at state universities that traditionally train teachers, such as the Mongolian National University of Education (MNUE) and the National University of Mongolia (NUM). This raises the question of what the situation is like at regional universities. Have enrollments increased since regional schools were placed under the umbrella and patronage of NUM and MNUE? 

WILL HALF OF TUITION BE WAIVED IF STUDENTS WERE TO STUDY IN THE COUNTRYSIDE?

Khovd Province’s Teacher’s University first opened in 1979. Over the past 47 years, it has trained hundreds of teachers not only for the western region but for the entire country. In 2020, it was expanded and reorganized as the Western Region School of the National University of Mongolia.

However, since then, the school’s leadership has changed three times, and this turnover has led to financial instability. Outstanding debts for heating, electricity, and other utilities reached 2.3 billion MNT, placing the institution in a difficult situation. Recently, however, the school has nearly settled these debts, according to its Director, Ts.Purevsuren.

The decline in student enrollment also dealt a heavy blow to the university, which relies largely on tuition fees for funding. In some years, the school had around 800 students, while in the current academic year approximately 1,200 students are enrolled. More than 350 students are studying at the graduate level, including master’s and doctoral programs.

The university trains specialists through 12 programs, including preschool and primary school teachers, as well as teachers of social sciences, chemistry, biology, mathematics, information technology, and music.

Speaking on the matter, Director Ts.Purevsuren stated, “All of our teacher-training programs have been accredited by the National Council for Education Accreditation. As a result, all students studying teaching at our university are now eligible to study free of charge. This has had a positive impact on enrollment. In other words, students can study teaching with a 100 percent state scholarship at accredited universities.”

The director then continued, “In addition to teacher-training programs, we also offer non-teaching programs such as law, engineering, and economics. Since there is high demand for mining and engineering specialists in rural areas, we are focusing on training professionals in these fields as well. Out of the 39 programs we offer, 12 are teacher-training programs.”

“The Law on Higher Education and the Law on Education stipulate that the state must cover the fixed operational costs of public universities. However, over the past two years, our university has not received its full fixed-cost funding. In 2025, no funding was provided at all, and in 2024, only about 350 million MNT were allocated. Our annual electricity, water, and heating costs alone amount to nearly 1 billion MNT. Rural universities face many such challenges. In addition, primary, middle and high school teachers receive a 20 percent regional allowance, but this does not apply to university lecturers, which is unfair,” said the director. 

Ts.Purevsuren also noted that graduates of the university work not only in the western region but across the country, including Darkhan-Uul, Orkhon, Selenge provinces, and Ulaanbaatar City. The university has increased teachers’ salaries by an average of 15 percent.

Although government policy on regional development states that 50 percent of tuition fees for students studying in rural areas should be covered by the state, this decision has not been fully implemented. This is because eligibility is tied to income levels below the subsistence minimum, which contradicts the government resolution. “This issue should be reconsidered,” he said.

B.Batmunkh, Head of a department at the university, also emphasized that if the state supports regional universities and directs its policies toward rural areas, it would help reduce traffic congestion and ease over-centralization. He stated, “Young people often move from rural areas to Ulaanbaatar without considering the financial burden this places on their parents. They have a narrow perception that life is better only in the capital city. I have met many parents who say, ‘We wanted to send our child to study locally, but we couldn’t afford it.’”

The Western Region School has two academic buildings. Of its faculty members, 42.3 percent hold doctoral or higher academic degrees and titles. Teachers who relocate from Ulaanbaatar or other provinces live in rental housing, where rent is relatively low; 150,000 MNT per month for a two-bedroom apartment. Students from soums and other areas live in dormitories.

The student dormitory is currently undergoing a full renovation funded by the Local Development Fund at a cost of 1.2 billion MNT. In addition, a new dormitory for 300 students is being built with 12.6 billion MNT from the state budget and is expected to be commissioned next year.

Regarding tuition fees, first- and second-year students pay the same amount as at the main campus—4.8 million MNT. Nationwide, enrollment in chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography teacher-training programs has not increased, while enrollment in primary education, preschool education, and social sciences has risen. This trend is also observed at the Khovd school, according to its director.

Despite operating continuously for many years with a stable teaching staff, the university occasionally faces shortages of lecturers, particularly in chemistry and mathematics.

‘ABANDONED’ TEACHERS

Teacher training began in Arkhangai Province as early as 1951. Today, the institution is known as the Arkhangai Branch of the Mongolian National University of Education. Enrollment at this school has also declined.

However, “Because the state is providing scholarships for bachelor’s and master’s students majoring in teaching, enrollment has increased this year,” said S.Altantungalag, Specialist at the school’s Program Office. She noted that without such government measures to reduce the teacher shortage, some regional universities might have been forced to close.

She explained, “Under the government resolution, students who meet the requirements—those who score 430 points or higher on the entrance examination—receive a 100 percent scholarship from the State Fund. Students studying in priority and in-demand fields such as psychology and social work are also eligible for scholarships.

Additionally, students who meet certain criteria receive a 50 percent base tuition scholarship if they study at a regional university. These tuition waivers, discounts, and incentives have contributed to increased enrollment. These scholarships have been provided over the past two years, and students are coming not only from local areas but also from Ulaanbaatar.

Since the same teaching diploma is awarded under MNUE’s curriculum, many students prefer to study in their local regions. In the current academic year, 488 students are enrolled in bachelor’s programs, while 197 students are studying at the master’s level. Last year, 360 to 370 students were enrolled in bachelor’s programs.”

“Over the past five years, enrollment has declined sharply. In the 2012–2013 academic year, our school had 1,700 students. In 2015, due to a nationwide decrease in the number of general education school students, we were left with almost no new entrants. At one point, only 70 students were enrolled. In some years, enrollment ranged between 200 and 300 students. This year, the number has increased by 100 students compared to last year,” she continued.

However, this figure represents only about half of the number of students the school is supposed to accommodate. The Arkhangai Teacher Training School prepares teachers in primary education, preschool education, literature, and history and social sciences. There are also students studying to become psychologists and social workers.

Currently, the school employs 48 teachers and staff members, yet it continues to face shortages of history and social science teachers. This is reportedly because salaries for general education school teachers are higher, making university-level teaching less attractive. Although the state has reduced tuition fees for students, staff members say that the social welfare issues of teachers and employees have been neglected.

For example, children of general education and vocational training teachers are eligible to study at universities free of charge, and such teachers receive incentives such as an additional 36 months’ salary upon completing five years of service or retiring. University lecturers, however, do not receive these benefits, which the school has criticized.

“It seems there is a general perception that university lecturers are well paid because universities are funded through student tuition fees. In reality, after social insurance contributions, our salaries are 500,000 to 600,000 MNT lower than those of newly employed general education school teachers,” said S.Altantungalag. 

SOME PROGRAMS SUSPENDED DUE TO LACK OF APPLICANTS

There is also a teacher-training school in Dornod Province, located in the easternmost region of Mongolia. In 1953, the former Ministry of Public Education decided to establish a “Teaching School” in the province, laying the foundation for what is now the Eastern Region School of the National University of Mongolia.

Once an institution that supplied teachers and specialists to the eastern region, this academic center is now facing challenges similar to those of other regional schools. On this issue, N.Bayarmaa, Head of the Training and Student Affairs Department, stated that, “Compared to 10 years ago, enrollment at our school has declined. Over the past three years, we have had an average of about 200 new students annually. In the master’s programs, 100 to 120 students enroll each semester. Instruction is delivered both in-person and online.”

“We currently offer programs in petroleum engineering, psychology, accounting, social work, primary and preschool education teaching, physical education, and Chinese language interpretation. Students enrolled in bachelor’s and master’s programs are eligible for tuition discounts. While this has significantly eased the financial burden for students studying teaching and other in-demand fields, we have been forced to suspend some programs due to a lack of applicants,” continued N.Bayarmaa. 

She then highlighted, “Specifically, programs in arts education, tourism, Mongolian language and literature, foreign languages, English, music, fine arts, design, information technology, and mathematics teacher training currently have no applicants.”

Although the school was reorganized as the Eastern Region School of the National University of Mongolia in 2023, expanding its scope, the number of students continues to decline each year. In addition, trainee teachers earn starting salaries of 1.3 million MNT, making it difficult to attract people to work in rural areas for such low pay.

In this way, teaching institutions in rural regions are surviving largely on scholarships alone. The relevant ministry and the government are urged to take note of this situation.