The National Council of Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), is advocating an insurance package for senior high school students nationwide.
The President of the council, Alexander Yaw Danso, who revealed this in an interview with Citi News, stated that an agreement with an insurance company to charge each student GHc 7.00 a term has been reached.
He also noted that the Ghana Education Service was in favour of their proposals.
Mr. Danso’s comments follow the suspected outbreak of swine flu that has resulted in four deaths at the Kumasi Academy in the Ashanti Region.
A student of Koforidua Secondary Technical School also died from a meningitis infection over the weekend.
There were also concerns at the St. Martin’s Senior High School at Nsawam in the Eastern Region after over 20 students reportedly collapsed in the school over the weekend though medical officials have attributed the occurrence to panic attacks.
“For tragedies of this nature, you cannot prevent it. It started as something that you would say is normal, but it has developed to a stage that is a national tragedy,” he said of the recent deaths.
“We are in touch with an insurance company to insure our students for us at a minimum premium. Fortunately, the company is not only insuring the students. They are insuring the students and sponsoring parents and guardians as well, at a premium of GHc 7.00 per term.”
“The parents have accepted. We have written to the Ghana Education Service and they have given us the approval. The letter is there, and has been copied to all the Senior High school heads, the Regional Directors and all that.”
“It’s unfortunate that the roll out didn’t come before this tragedy otherwise the families of the dead would have received some benefits and those on admission would have also gotten some benefits,” Mr. Danso concluded.
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By: Hafiz Tijani & Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana