Insurance companies team up in Protecting Schools from fire's outbreaks and others risks

Claver Insurance Agency in collaboration with Real Insurance Company has come up with new initiatives to protect schools and educational institutions from the risks triggered by fire outbreaks, accidents and other inevitable disasters. 

 Under the School Insurance Package initiatives, schools and its staff, students and valuable properties would be placed under different categories of insurance covers, the Chairman of Claver Insurance agency, Dickson Hyera has said.

“We really need to do something to rescue our schools and education institutions for damages caused by disasters,” said Hyera at a special business dinner his firm organized for owners and directors of schools from different parts of the Dar es Salaam region.

The introduction of insurance schemes for schools comes in the wake of growing concerns over frequent fire incidents, accidents which have devastatingly affected many schools across the country and leading to loss of lives and valuable properties to the tune of millions.

At the occasion, owners and directors of schools were exposed to the ABCs of school insurance package services including various categories of the covers.

“They have to be informed first, before making decisions and that is the essence of inviting them at the business dinner and giving them an overview of what’s the package is all about,” said Claver Insurance Chairman.

Rev Faustine Binamungu, Head of Loyola High School, said lack of disasters- preparedness mechanisms have put many public and private schools at risk, causing massive loss of properties and people, citing recent floods which completely destroyed buildings, dormitories some of the Dar es Salaam nearby secondary school.

He expressed optimism that the newly-introduced insurance package targeting schools could help them to recover losses stemmed from disasters. “ That’s why we have come forward to hear what the schools insurance package is all about and how the scheme is operated, application modalities , before registering for services,” said Binamungu.

Pius Balihuta, Head of Centennial Christian Seminary, said fire outbreaks have destroyed many schools in the country, describing protection of the education institutions through insurance as crucial move to save lives of innocent children and teachers and damage to the school buildings and structure.

“Owners of the schools have invested a lot of money, it’s important we set up effective and workable mechanisms to assist them to recover their lost valuables in case of disasters,” stressed Batihuta

Frank Nyabundege, an entrepreneur, who was the Chief Guest at the event, said the newly introduced package would protect buildings, structures of the schools employees, students and their properties, urging the owners and managers of the schools to embrace the concept in the context of protecting lives of the people.

Since the country’s Fire and Rescue Act of 2007, became operational, the level of preparedness by individual Tanzanians and institutions including schools, appears to be low as records show that fire incidents are on the rise for the last few years across the country.

“Incidents of fire outbreaks in our country will not go down unless people’s level of awareness of their duties to prevent fire and functions of our force is raised,” local newspaper recently quoted Rogatius Kipali, Deputy Commissioner (Supervision and Monitoring) at the Fire and Rescue Force as saying.

Routine inspections conducted by the force found that many buildings and public places did not have fire prevention and detection systems, according to the official