GES suspends ‘COMPULSORY’ insurance over teachers agitations- GES-SIC might have bagged Gh¢6 million already

GES Succumbs to pressure from teachers to end compulsory GES-SIC life insurance deduction. The Ghana Education Service (GES) has for the second time suspended the GES-SIC insurance imposed on teachers across the country without any pre-agreement between teachers and the GES.

Teachers vowed to vent their displeasure on the Ministry of Education and the GES with a mammoth demonstration if the GES failed to cancel the albatross GES-SIC life policy imposed on teachers.

The Ghana Education Service said the suspension is only temporary until the end of August when it will be lifted. However, if the GES failed to reach an agreement with teachers and any deduction is effected on teacher’s salaries that could cause a lot of problems.

Since teachers started complaining about the unwarranted deduction of Gh¢10.00 per head, per month, the service required teachers to fill forms that will help the service take them off the policy. Teachers as obedient and patient as they have been on the matter acted as required yet, the State Insurance Company has continued the deductions to date.

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The patience of teachers has been tested too long and they vowed to demonstrate and call a strike action into effect if the government, the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service does not take the necessary actions without delay to stop the unwelcomed deductions.

In 2018, teachers in public basic and senior high schools across the country complained about a deduction of Gh¢10 from their salaries through the Controller and Accountant Generals Department (CAGD) for an insurance policy which they were not aware of.

Most teachers demanded, that the Gh¢10 which was deducted from their salaries in June last year for the policy should be refunded to them.

At a press briefing to clarify some issues regarding the policy, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa said all teachers were compulsorily put on the program and so have up to the end of August to pick, fill and submit an exit form to opt-out of the policy.

“As of 6th August, we have written formally to the Controller and Account-General to suspend the programme for August. We are suspending it for August. Subsequently, we will resume in September but for this period. All those who are not interested, we want them to come up and pick a form. After this month, any staff who does not come out to get his or her name removed from the list is deemed to be a member. However, at any point in time, if you want to exit, you can exit,” he said.

Teachers have asked many questions without answers

1. Was the GES and the MoE pretending not to have heard the voice of teachers?
2. Was it an attempt to raise easy funding for the SIC hence the rolling of the compulsory insurance policy?
3. If there were just 200,000 GES staff nationwide who were charged GHS10.00 a month for just three months the SIC may have bagged some GHS6,000,000 already or even more. How will this be refunded to teachers and how soon?
4. Why didn’t government roll on the Nurses in Ghana or the Ghana Police or the all civil servants in Ghana but singled out teachers?

The Ghana Education Service might have canceled the policy deduction but it must work on ensuring teachers are widely consulted before taking the next action.