Insurance cover for all schoolkids

HYDERABAD: All school-going children in the state will soon be covered under a group personal accident insurance scheme.
Students from class I to X will be insured for death or disablement due to accidents at a nominal premium, which might be in the range of Re 1 to Rs 10 per year per child. The new insurance scheme will be implemented in all government, aided and local body schools from the current academic year.
The government will negotiate with several insurance companies in the next month on premium and compensation packages, school education director K Ramakrishana Rao told The Times of India on Thursday.The scheme will be more or less similar to the schemes implemented in the neighbouring states like Kerala and Karnataka, he said. Orders to this effect were issued on June 21.
With no risk coverage against accidents for school children, several parents often spend their hard-earned money for medical treatment. Against this background, the government has decided to introduce the 'students' safety insurance scheme' with a premium, which will be within the reach of all sections of the society, he said.
Under the new insurance scheme, parents might receive compensation ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000. They will get the maximum assured sum in case of their children's death or permanent physical disablement due to any accident.
Compensation will also be more for cases like loss of sight of both eyes or similar damages to the hands or feet. Even loss of sight of one eye and loss of one hand or one foot due to accident will also fetch the same quantum of financial assistance.
This apart, any kind of permanent or partial physical disablement caused due to an accident, a fixed percentage of sum insured will be given to parents. Besides, insurance companies will reimburse medical expenses to a certain limit for any one accident per year incurred by students for treatment in any hospital in the state.
The government will finalise insurance company as well as brokers to implement the scheme in all schools in a few weeks, it is learnt.