The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has collaborated with the Ghana Education Service (GES) to launch the supplementary readers manual on social security for Junior and Senior High Schools (JHS/SHS).

The Supplementary Readers and Teachers’ Manual on Social Security for students and teachers is meant to deepen students’ awareness of social security issues.

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) was a major partner in the development of the manual.

Producing the manual involved breaking down the Pensions Act 2014, as amended to Act 883 into simple concepts for easy understanding.

The launch which was under the theme “Empowering the Youth with Knowledge in Social Security – Preparing For The Future,” was held at the Kumasi Anglican Senior High School in Kumasi.

Director-General of SSNIT, Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, observed that in spite of the benefits the SSNIT Scheme provides, membership is relatively low which he attributed to a general lack of understanding about social security, the laws governing it and the value it provides.

He therefore said the manual would enable students to insist on their right to social security as potential workers or discharge well their responsibilities as future employers.

Dr Ofori-Tenkorang is hopeful that the initiative would equip the young ones with the requisite knowledge and information needed to achieve SSNIT’s goal of achieving social protection for all workers in Ghana.

Deputy Minister for Education, Rev. Dr John Ntim Fordjour, said the project was to raise the young learners as ambassadors who appreciated the essence of SSNIT contribution for a secured and comfortable future.

The Deputy Minister revealed that out of 11 million working population in Ghana, only 1.7 million were contributing to SSNIT, adding that the 227,000 beneficiaries currently on the monthly payroll of SSNIT could have been more if more workers had contributed to SSNIT during their active work period.

“As financial literacy is a key element in our standard-based and common core curricula, we hope to raise nearly 10 million learners in pre-tertiary schools with knowledge and values that are aligned to the key priorities of national development,” he added.

He acknowledged that introducing social security as part of the new Common Core Curriculum for schools is very significant for today’s education and the future of the scheme.

Rev Dr Ntim Fordjour also appealed to SSNIT to create similar supplementary readers for the early grades.

Meanwhile, Ashanti Regional Director for GES, Mary Owusu Afriyie, believes the initiative would equip the young ones with the knowledge on social security to adequately prepare them for retirement.

She encouraged all students and teachers to take full advantage of the initiative to upgrade themselves for a better future.