Project teaching students financial literacy wins national award

THE youths are the hope of the future. But they live in a world currently confronted by different issues such as poverty and climate change.

In response, students from Western Visayas Sanitarium Elementary School in Barangay Bolong Oeste, Santa Barbara, Iloilo – with support from their principal, Mrs. Felly Malones, and adviser Mrs. Czarina Duro – organized a project titled “3Ps (Pulot Papel Plastik).”

The project aims to answer the abovementioned world issues at the grassroots level.

It trains their fellow students to gather and segregate garbage, such as paper and plastic, in the school campus. Afterwards, they can sell the garbage to their Financial Literacy Center at P5 per kilo.

These materials are then converted into useful products, such as throw pillows, curtains, bags, and charcoal. The income that the students collect are deposited to their individual coin banks for use in future projects.

Members of the school organization hope to be an inspiration to their respective families as well as other schools, showing them that even young students can become catalysts for change, contribute to nationbuilding and make the world a better place to live in.

This simple yet i nnovative approach in teaching students how to be productive members of society earned them a Gold Award during the 3rd Annual Cha-Ching Educators’ Conference on Financial Literacy organized by Pru Life UK from Aug. 30 to 31, 2016 at Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas, Pasig City.

The award came with a trophy and a cash prize of P25,000.

The organizers advocate the inclusion of financial literacy and entrepreneurship in primary education in both public and private schools. ( Paid article)