Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang speaks at the event
The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), has launched supplementary readers on Social Security for junior and senior high schools.
The move is to enlighten the students to have better knowledge in securing their future financially and in turn educate their parents on the need to contribute to the Trust.
Speaking at the Kumasi Anglican Senior High School (KASS) yesterday in Kumasi, the Director-General of SSNIT, Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang, said in spite of the benefits the SSNIT Scheme provides, membership is relatively low.
He attributed the low membership to “a general lack of understanding about social security, the laws governing it and the value it provides.”
He explained that if the earlier generations had the opportunity of being introduced to the benefits of a structured social security system, many people would have understood the importance of pensions and the membership of the National Basic Social Security Scheme would be more than the current 1.7 million.
“That is why you are very lucky to have this subject (social security) introduced to you through your school curriculum at this early stage of your lives to offer you a roadmap and a preview into your work journey and equip you with the right tools to plan ahead,” he told the students.
Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang, believes that having such information at their disposal will aid them to make proper financial decisions in future.
Curriculum
The Minister of Education, Yaw Osei Adutwum, in a speech read for him noted that SSNIT’s collaboration with National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) to have social security content included in various subject areas of the curriculum of high schools and the production of the supplementary readers will enable students understand and appreciate the value provided by the first tier scheme and social security in general.
He asserted that significant strides had been made in the last few years in making education practical and reflective of everyday living, adding that any efforts towards accessibility and improving quality should be commended.
To him, “it is a good thing that an important topic such as social security is now part of the new Common Core Curriculum for schools because these young students are the would-be employers and employees of our nation in the not so distant future.”
“SSNIT has since its establishment played an important role in educating the youth of our country through the provision of schools, hostels and funding of tertiary education through the students’ loan scheme. We must appreciate the efforts made by SSNIT and the support it has provided to the various sectors of the economy but most importantly the provision of regular monthly pension to the about 227,000 pensioners,” he stressed.
The NaCCA Director, Prof. Edward Appiah, explained that the Supplementary Readers on Social Security had been infused into subjects like Mathematics, Social Studies, Our World and Our People and Religious and Moral Education.
He mentioned that work on the project started in 2006, and had gone through series of consultations.
Already, copies of the supplementary readers have been distributed through the 16 regional education offices across the country. The event was also attended by some selected senior high schools across the country.
The books, developed by SSNIT in partnership with NaCCA is expected to educate about 10million persons in school about financial security.
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