Insurance brokers, under the auspices of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers(NCRIB) have advanced plans for sustainable engagement with Lagos State government for the promotion of insurance among secondary school students in the state.
The council took this step when its delegation visited the state commissioner for education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos recently.
Speaking, the deputy president of the council, Mr. Babatunde Oguntade, regretted the slow acceptance of insurance as a subject in the curriculum of secondary schools and noted that, the brokerage body craved the support of the state ministry of education to change the narrative positively.
Oguntade, who is also the chairman of the Research and Development Committee of NCRIB opined that against noxious beliefs about insurance, the profession was one that accommodated diverse people from varied educational backgrounds which ultimately provides basis for the richness of the profession.
He applauded the Lagos State government for its undying enthusiasm to support the move by the council to synergise efforts with the state government in fashioning a robust curriculum for insurance education that would stimulate the interest of secondary school students.
The state commissioner for education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, rued the poor acceptance of insurance generally in the society despite the huge potential of the profession.
She opined that providers of insurance needed to be more proactive in stimulating the interest of the youth in insurance subject.
Adefisayo disclosed that the comprehensive school project of the Lagos State government should be utilised by the council and the insurance industry generally to provide hands-on training for students of the peculiar schools towards making them self-reliant as against obsession for certificate.
She advised the industry on the need to rethink and re-engineer as a way of making insurance a favourable option for the youth.