The Kwara State Government has refuted claims by some teachers that they were excluded from the implementation of the 30 per cent Peculiar Allowance, describing the allegations as spurious and misleading.

The government also dismissed reports suggesting that the Teachers' Specific Allowance had been discontinued for several years.

The clarification was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Office of the Head of Service and signed by the Press Secretary, Okanlawon Solomon.

According to the statement, teachers employed by the Kwara State Government have continued to receive the Teachers' Specific Allowance of 27.5 per cent and 21 per cent until December 2025, when the state approved a comprehensive review of the allowance.

"The TSA was implemented in 2010 following an agreement signed between the Nigeria Governors' Forum and the Nigeria Union of Teachers on August 6, 2008, and its implementation continued till December 2025," the statement said.

It explained that the review of the allowance was approved to align teachers' entitlements with their certifications as recognised by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, adding that the implementation of the new structure would begin in January 2026.

The Office of the Head of Service further stated that the 30 per cent Peculiar Allowance was approved by the Federal Government specifically for civil servants in the core civil service as part of efforts to harmonise salary structures.

According to the statement, the allowance was introduced to address remuneration disparities, as other categories of workers, including health workers, tertiary institution staff, judicial officers and professionals, already benefit from specialised allowances or enhanced salary structures.

"By this arrangement, workers who are already enjoying specific professional allowances or enhanced salary structures are excluded from the 30 per cent Peculiar Allowance," the statement noted.

The government stressed that the introduction of the Peculiar Allowance in Kwara State was a novel initiative, reflecting the current administration's commitment to workers' welfare.

Highlighting its achievements in the education sector, the government said it had fully paid 345 per cent of the outstanding salary arrears owed to teachers since 2016.

It also listed the full implementation of promotion arrears from 2015, timely approval of annual promotions up to the 2025 promotion year, and the bridging of salary disparities between teachers under the Teaching Service Commission and the State Universal Basic Education Board.

Other interventions include regular capacity-building programmes for teachers since 2019 and the restoration of annual salary increments over the past three years.

The statement further clarified that despite the implementation of the 30 per cent Peculiar Allowance for core civil servants, teachers' salaries remain relatively higher than those of their counterparts on the same grade levels in the mainstream civil service.

"The implementation of allowances is not intended to create competition in remuneration but to achieve salary harmonisation," the Office of the Head of Service stated.

The government urged workers to channel all legitimate grievances through their respective trade unions, noting that the state reserves the right to review remuneration in line with its financial capacity to ensure sustainability.

PUNCH Online had reported that teachers in Kwara State on Friday staged a peaceful protest over their exclusion from the newly approved 30 per cent Peculiar Salary Allowance granted to other categories of state workers.

The protesters, who converged on the Nigeria Union of Teachers' state secretariat in Ilorin, described the decision of the state government as unfair and discriminatory, insisting that teachers deserved equal treatment with other civil servants.

Speaking with our correspondent on behalf of the protesting teachers, Segun Afolabi, said the 27.5 per cent Teachers' Specific Allowance was a statutory entitlement and should not be merged with, or used as a replacement for, the newly approved 30 per cent allowance.

"Other states are implementing the 30 per cent Peculiar Allowance, and Kwara should not be an exception. Teachers' earnings in Kwara State are far below the economic reality of the country," Afolabi said.