The Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdurrazaq has explained reasons behind the deductions in the salaries of primary and junior secondary school teachers in the state.
The teachers who are employed under the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) had been paid earlier in week but noticed that their August salaries were deducted in varying degrees.
A statement made available to EduCeleb.com on Friday indicated that the deductions were for the Teachers’Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) registration and the pay as you earn deductions by the Kwara Internally Generated Revenue Service.
The full text of the statement signed by the governor’s spokesperson, Rafiu Ajakaye is presented below.
Deductions from SUBEB workers: what exactly happened?
We have been inundated with complaints majorly from SUBEB workers about certain deductions from their August salaries. We were shocked at the development, and have taken immediate steps to find out what exactly happened. To that end, we state the following for the benefits of those affected and members of the Kwara public:
1. It is true that certain deductions were made from the salaries of SUBEB workers. But this has nothing to do with the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq
2. Deductions from SUBEB workers were of two types. The first was the annual dues accruing to the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN). All members of the national body are to pay. The second was the deduction of the normal Pay As you Earn (PAYE) of SUBEB.
3. Authorities at SUBEB claimed the workers had been fully briefed of the TRCN dues through the Nigeria Union of Teachers. They said the TRCN ought to have been deducted since July but they did not do so because they expected the NUT to properly inform their members of this development before it is deducted.
4. The TRCN dues deducted from the SUBEB workers depend on the grade level of the affected workers. Grade Levels 7-10 paid 2,000; GL 12-14 paid 3,000; while GL 15 and above paid 4,000. Principals under the umbrella of ANCOPS were also surcharged.
5. For PAYE, authorities at KW-IRS said they had for over two years not been taking the normal PAYE from SUBEB workers on compassionate grounds because their salaries had not been regular or 100%. The decision to deduct their normal PAYE followed the trend of consistent and complete salaries they have been getting since the new administration came on board.
6. Workers are to note that these deductions are reflected in their pay slips. Anyone with complaints of deductions other than the above should please come forward.
7. Now, while we may agree with the explanations about these statutory deductions, we regret to note that the affected workers were clearly not properly briefed by various organs that ought to do so. Going forward, we encourage various government agencies and departments to ensure proper communication of issues and development to avoid misunderstanding as this. There should be no assumptions.
8. We appeal to workers to kindly forgive this obvious lack of proper explanation. We reassure them that this administration has no hidden agenda. The only agenda it has is to serve the larger interest of the people.
Thank you.
Rafiu Ajakaye,
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.
29 August, 2019.
