‘Suraksha’payments six in arrears to 4,000 schoolchildren
View(s):Around 4,000 claims from schoolchildren, received by the Ministry of Education (MoE) under the Suraksha insurance scheme, remain unpaid, said the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU).
The CTU said the claims made since December 1, 2018, has not been paid, as the Insurance under the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC) expired on November 30, 2018.
The MoE’s attempt to award the Insurance to a private Insurance company – Allianz – has been shelved, due to objections raised by trade unions against awarding the deal to a foreign company.
The SLIC has paid only Rs 450 million as claims, while the total amount insured is Rs 2,700 million.
CTU Gen.Sec. Stalin said the best course of action is for the MoE to scrap the Insurance scheme and instead, establish an office which will make payments for the claims. This way, the government could save money and use it for the development of schools, by providing good buildings, water and other facilities. Alternatively, the funds could be used to establish children’s hospitals with all facilities.
Already, he said, it was the teachers who did the paperwork for the claimants, under the last insurer.
- CC