Students at Darwin’s Essington School are learning how to manage money and become smarter consumers as part of a national program aimed at improving financial literacy in schools.
Known as ‘MoneySmart Teaching’, the program has been developed by ASIC. Essington is one of five primary and six middle schools in the Northern Territory trialling the program.
‘Understanding money and finances are important life skills. Today’s students are interacting with money and making consumer choices from an early age. We need to develop enterprising behaviours in young people and give them the building blocks to make confident and informed decisions throughout their lives’, said Essington School principal, David Cannon.
‘MoneySmart Teaching looks at immediate issues facing young people. Three out of four children own a mobile phone by the time they start secondary school, so one of the Year 7 maths units of work requires students to compare mobile phone plans and keep within a budget.’
Rather than teach financial literacy as a separate subject, MoneySmart Teaching provides schools with quality teaching resources which integrate financial concepts such as spending, saving and donating into maths, science and English in the new Australian Curriculum.
ASIC’s Northern Territory Regional Commissioner, Duncan Poulson, said the program had been well received by local students, teachers and parents.
‘Participating NT MoneySmart schools will join ASIC staff for a roundtable next week. We look forward to receiving this feedback and making the program more broadly available in 2014’, Mr Poulson said.
For more information about ASIC’s MoneySmart Teaching program and to access resources, visit www.teaching.moneysmart.gov.au.
Background
ASIC’s MoneySmart Teaching packages for primary and secondary schools are part of the $10 million Helping Our Kids Understand Finances (HOKUF) initiative to improve financial literacy in schools announced by the Australian Government in August 2010.
Participating NT MoneySmart Schools:
Larrakeyah Primary School
Palmerston Christian School
St Mary’s Primary School
The Essington School Darwin (primary and middle)
Yipirinya School
Darwin Middle School
Dripstone Middle School
Palmerston Christian School
Taminmin College
Yirara College
Photo opportunity:
Who: Middle school students, The Essington School, Darwin
What: ASIC’s MoneySmart Teaching Program
Where: The Essington School Library, Chapman Rd, Nightcliff
When: 10.30am, Monday 27 May 2013
For further information contact:
Duncan Poulson
NT Regional Commissioner
Telephone: (08) 8943 0907
Mobile: 0427 614 450