The Alberta government wants junior and senior high school students to better understand budgeting, spending and investing.
In an effort to increase students’ financial knowledge for today’s world, Alberta’s government is releasing a call for grant proposals totaling $1 million.
The successful organization, or group of organizations, will work with schools to provide financial literacy programming to students starting in fall 2021.
Students will study financial concepts such as costs, interest, debt, investing, insurance, and how the economy affects their lives.
The province says this will expand learning opportunities to students in classrooms across the province.
“For the first time in a meaningful way, financial literacy is being addressed across multiple subjects and grades in an age-appropriate way in our province,” said Education Minister Adriana LaGrange. “Understanding how money works will help students gain confidence, solve practical problems, and prepare them for the future.”
The Alberta government says the call for grant proposals builds on successful current financial literacy programs, including those offered by Enriched Academy and Junior Achievement in the 2020/21 school year. These organizations have been working with 39,000 students in Grades 4 to 12 in the past year – in urban and rural communities.
Financial literacy was also among recommendations from Alberta’s independent curriculum advisory panel. In their report, the panel noted students may leave Grade 12 without the basic skills necessary to transition successfully into life after high school. They recommended financial literacy, work readiness, wellness, and goal-setting to enhance student learning.
The province has also made financial literacy a key component in Alberta’s draft Kindergarten to Grade 6 curriculum under the theme of practical skills. In the draft, all students will study financial literacy in all subjects and grades – from counting coins to creating a budget.
