The Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) in partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it will commence the training of teachers ahead of the inclusion of financial education in the curriculum of primary and secondary schools in the 2017/2018 session.
This is to ensure that financial education is ingrained in students from a young age as part of financial inclusion target of the country. Speaking at a workshop for the development of the teachers’ guide in Lagos yesterday, the Executive Secretary of the NERDC, Professor Ismail Junaidu said the curriculum is essential in entrenching financial education in Nigerians at a young age.
Junaidu who noted that the problem of buffet execution which the country has is due to dearth of financial education said “if you teach them now and they grow up with that culture, they will be able to manage the resources to utilize very well and to explore various avenues of taping the resources.”
On her part, CBN director, consumer protection department, Hajiya Umman Dutse, noted that lack of consumer sophistication and education was one factor that contributed to the 2008/2009 financial crisis in the country.
This she said had informed the decision by the apex bank, regulators in the financial sector as well as financial institutions to include financial education in the school curriculum. “We developed in conjunction with stakeholders, a curriculum which recognises school children and youths as a major target group in financial education.
“We are committed to seeing that the financial education curriculum is launched at the beginning of the 2017/2018 academic session. On funding of the next stage of implementation which is training the teachers, she said the financial sector stakeholders are looking at either training at geo political level or on a state level basis.
Dutse, who did not specify how much has been pooled for the project said financial institutions as well as regulators who have contributed for the project are still committed to putting in more if required.
