Teachers in Kwara State have appealed to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to resolve the ongoing challenges related to the incorrect implementation of the 27.5% Teachers Specific Allowance (TSA) for TRN-certified teachers and the 21% allowance for non-TRN certified teachers.

Speaking at the 2024 World Teachers' Day celebration held at the NUT House in Ilorin, the State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Yusuf Agboola, highlighted the issue, stressing that the challenge is unique to Kwara State. Agboola urged the Governor to urgently intervene and ensure fair implementation of the allowances, as the discrepancies have caused frustration among educators.

According to him, “We are still facing this challenge of incorrect implementation of 27.5 % Teachers Specific allowance (TSA) for teachers in TRN certificated and 21 % of non-TRN certificated teachers.

“This problem is peculiar to only Kwara State in the entire federation. We are therefore appealing to our amiable governor to intervene in this challenge and correct the implementation for us so that we can be at par with other states of the federation.”

Other challenges he listed for the state government’s attention include the non-implementation of November 2023 palliatives for teachers under TESCOM, non-implementation of annual increment steps for SUBEB teachers for many years, non- recruitment of more teachers for Senior Secondary Schools despite massive retirements that occurred between 2022 and 2024.

Also included are non-payment of rural allowance for teachers in rural areas and that the state government is yet to key into the 65/40 years harmonised retirement age for teachers in Nigeria.

Agboola however commended the state government for prompt payment of teachers’ salaries, Cash-backing of the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), teachers’ promotions of 2021 and 2022 and the recent approval of 2023 and 2024 promotions.

Also speaking, the State chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Muritala Olayinka, said that efforts are ongoing with other stakeholders to ensure the implementation of the new minimum wage in the state soonest.

Comrade Olayinka said that “the committee set up by the state government is working round the clock to ensure that the new minimum wage is implemented in the state.

“I, therefore, urge teachers in the state to exercise a little patience. At the end of the day, we will come out with something tangible that will make everybody smile” he said.

Corroborating the NLC chief, Chairman of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Professor Shehu Adaramaja, said that teachers would be taken care of in the new minimum wage.

Represented by Alhaji Abdullatef Solagberu, Professor Adaramaja said that “a committee has been inaugurated by the state government. The NUT has been adequately represented.

“Even though the Federal Government is yet to come out with clear-cut modalities for the payment, what I want us to know is that as soon as approval is given, teachers will be adequately taken care of”.