Expanding the role of CIIN in building capacity for insurance education, awareness
The last 11 months of Isioma Chukwuoma as the president and chairman of Council of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) has ignited efforts towards not only increasing the relevance of insurance in the society, but also building capacity amongst those who will drive the process.
Insurance as a subject is technical in nature, accounting for why there are only very few teachers who can teach the subject in schools.
But to drive awareness and inculcate the culture of insurance among the younger generation of Nigerian’s through making the subject offered in schools, there is therefore need to raise teachers as the driving force.
This has largely occupied the attention of Isioma Chukwuma’s tenure since her assumption of office 11 months ago, when she said her focus is to get volunteers to teach insurance across the country.
She said the Institute has aided in the study and teaching of insurance by providing support to Institutions across the country through donation of course books, equipping libraries with study materials and equipment.
“The Institute has also aided in the study and teaching of Insurance by providing support to Institutions across the country through donation of course books, equipping libraries with study materials and equipment and also by imploring insurance professionals to volunteer as teachers and lecturers in Institutions so as to cover for the dearth of Insurance teachers and lecturers in our Institutions,” she said.
According to her, the institute’s Train-the-Trainer programme was designed for the up scaling of Insurance education and to ensure that insurance teachers possess the required skills for imparting the necessary knowledge to the future generation of insurance practitioners.
Chukwuma observed that the programme was first carried out in Lagos and Ogun States and has since been replicated in other parts of the country, stressing that the institute is presently engaging some states to fashion out modalities to host the programme in their domain.
She posited that the Train-the-Trainer programme has been well received and many states have shown enthusiasm in partnering the Institute and the College in this regard.
The CIIN President also informed that she was collaborating with the Head of Service of the Federation to ensure that graduates of College of Insurance and Financial Management Studies (CIFM) secure employment in government Institution across the various levels of government in the country, stating that discussions were at an advanced stage with the office of the HOS to enable gazeting of the Institute’s professional qualifications for employment purposes in the Civil Service.
She said that the process, when completed would become an added advantage to holders of the Institute’s certificate seeking employment into any government Institution across the various levels and tiers of government.
According to her, the Institute is presently exploring every means possible at situating the CIIN brand on the global stage, adding that they are presently fine-tuning its exemptions relationships with CII (UK).
“We have consolidated the existing off-shore examination centers of the Institute in Banjul, The Gambia and in Kigali, Rwanda and presently pursuing with vigor the extension of the frontiers of our professional examinations to the West African sub-region and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa.”