Kathmandu. Nepal has taken a turning point in linking the health and safety of students to education. With the policy support of the government and the initiative of the local governments, children studying in community schools across the country are now getting the protection of health and accident insurance. This initiative has come as a big relief to the poor families.
The Insurance Authority’s new emphasis and local initiative regulator Nepal Insurance Authority (NIA) has been actively encouraging schools to insure students in recent times. These policies, introduced under the Insurance Act 2079, are expected to help increase student retention and reduce financial risk in public schools.
In fact, the plan has come into effect after the local government took over. In many places, the local bodies have borne the insurance premiums and relieved the families of the students from financial worries.
Municipalities are moving forward:
Chapakot Municipality of Syangja is an excellent example of this. The municipality has also arranged free health insurance to the entire family enrolling their children in community schools. A total of 5000 students of 45 schools have been directly benefited by the insurance company, where the insurance company bears the annual medical treatment cost of up to Rs 100,000 per family in case of illness.Abukhaireni Rural Municipality of Tanahu is also preparing to make arrangements for free health insurance.
Tribhuvan University (TU), the country’s largest university, has also sent a strong message to its students and professors to participate in the National Health Insurance Program, saying that up to 90% of the medical fund will bear the cost of treatment.
Improvement of Education and Guarantee of Safety
School-based insurance not only provides financial assistance, it also has a positive impact on the quality and accessibility of education.
Dropout: helps reduce the dropout rate due to the burden of being sick in the family.
Attraction to community schools: When public schools provide the same sense of security as private schools, parents are encouraged to enroll their children in community schools.Contributing to poverty alleviation: Removing the financial burden of health risks provides great relief to poor families, which creates an environment for children to continue their education with confidence.
Conclusion
The launch of student-centered insurance scheme in community schools is the result of long-term thinking in the field of education and financial security in Nepal. This activism of the government and local bodies has now created a safe basis for every child to read. The move raises hopes of expanding the insurance market and guaranteeing a bright future for students.
