GES suspends teachers' insurance policy for a month

For the second time running, deductions for the SIC Life-GES Group Life Insurance policy package for staff of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has been suspended for the month of August.

It will resume next month.

This is to give all the GES staff, one month to decide whether to remain under the policy or exit.

The suspension follows series of agitations by some teachers and teacher unions with threats of a sit-down strike should the Controller and Accountant General effect any deductions for the month of August 2019.

The Director-General of the GES, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, who announced this at a press briefing in Accra last Thursday, made it clear that “the deductions will resume in September 2019 for those who have not exited by the end of August.”

The policy

The policy, renewable annually, is a government initiative to help improve the welfare of teachers in the country. It is a group life policy that covers life, permanent disability and critical illness.

Under the guidelines of the policy, all employees of the GES, in active service, are eligible to enrol onto it, and SICLife will deduct GH¢10 monthly through the Controller and Accountant General’s Department.

Benefits

Under the policy, GH¢18,000 will be paid out to a named beneficiary upon the demise of a member. Additionally, up to GH¢18,000 will be paid out to a member for any permanent disability sustained as a result of an accident or an illness.

For critical illnesses such as cancers, heart attacks, kidney failure, loss of sight, stroke, paralysis and deafness, an amount of GH¢ 9,000 will be paid out to a member when diagnosis is confirmed.

Year-long sensitisation

The policy suffered a setback in June, 2018 when it was first introduced and the first deduction made resulting in the suspension of the policy for a year to ensure adequate engagements with the staff of the GES.

After the year-long sensitisation, the policy was reintroduced in June, this year, and the first deduction was made in July, 2019 but a section of the staff, through their various teacher unions, protested and signalled their intention to embark on a sit-down strike if the Controller and Accountant General went ahead with the deduction in August.

Exit form

Prof. Opoku-Amankwa said so far, over 40,000 of the staff had filled the Exit Form, adding that after August, all those who did not fill the form would be assumed to be interested in the policy.

He hinted that so far, the Controller and Accountant General had successfully deleted the names of 35,036 of those who filled the Exit Forms.

“But the Controller was unable to delete 45 of them because the particulars provided were not accurate.

“Additionally, 34, 252 of all those who have opted out have had their deducted premium refunded to them. Refunds to 829 staff have not been effected due to some inaccuracies in data submitted,” Prof. Opoku-Amankwa explained.
He stated that the SIC would publish names of the 829 staff to enable them to correct their information to facilitate the process of the refund.

Window of exit

He explained that the insurance package was for individuals and not for teacher unions, giving the assurance that the policy was optional and individuals could opt out at any given time.

Prof. Opoku-Amankwa, however, encouraged members of the union to take advantage of the attractive package to be part of it, adding,

“feedback indicates that majority of staff are interested and wish to continue.”

He added: "This is an individual person insurance, it is your own welfare, it is not an issue of unions. So any staff of GES who is not interested, you do not need to demonstrate, you do not need a petition to exit.”

He explained that the window was still available and “we urge any member of staff who is not interested in the scheme to indicate that and opt out of it by filling an Exit Form which is available to all staff.”

He explained that the insurance package was for individuals and not for teacher unions, giving the assurance that the policy was optional and individuals could opt out at any given time.

Prof. Opoku-Amankwa, however, encouraged members of the union to take advantage of the attractive package to be part of it, adding,

“feedback indicates that majority of staff are interested and wish to continue.”

He added: "This is an individual person insurance, it is your own welfare, it is not an issue of unions. So any staff of GES who is not interested, you do not need to demonstrate, you do not need a petition to exit.”

He explained that the window was still available and “we urge any member of staff who is not interested in the scheme to indicate that and opt out of it by filling an Exit Form which is available to all staff.”