Teach life skills, money matters in classes, parents urge schools

UAE parents are calling on schools to introduce a subject that teaches “real-life skills”, such as managing money, and help students develop their overall financial literacy, so “they don’t suffer” once they become independent.

Some parents feel that traditional subjects, such as English, maths, science, and history, are not enough to help their children in the “real world”, especially when they have to deal with budgets, bills, mortgages, and university life abroad.

Najma Saeed, who has an 18-year-old daughter and a 20-yearold son, said she had taught her kids about financial responsibilities; however, she believes that schools can play a larger role.

She said: “I think teaching them life skills is really important because now I can feel that they (her children) are having issues with their daily routines, such as budgeting. I did some training for them, so when they go to university, they will be able to create their own budgets. It’s In our bid to give our children the best education and ensure a comfortable living, we often forget to teach them the value of money and the merits of managing it well. Money cannot ensure happiness, but smart money management surely can. And our children will only learn this if we talk to them about budgeting, help them understand the importance of saving and investing. Learning begins at home. Parents should take the lead, and schools should follow.

hard for kids. In the beginning, they suffer a lot to keep up with the skills they don’t know, and they learn it the hard way. So, it’s better to introduce a subject that can help them learn life skills, such as banking. They don’t even know how to fill out forms for banks or at consulates, for example. It will help if they could learn these skills in schools.”

A parent of two, Ambreen Haroon Moeen, said that if children could learn how to manage finances early on, they could be better prepared for the future.

She feels that learning these skills in this day and age is particularly important as “expenses go sky high”. Developing financial literacy will help children stay out of debt once they reach adulthood.

“For example, I teach my kids how we should manage our costs in our day-to-day lives, and I’m glad that my 8-year-old truly understands this and helps us in managing a lot of costs in the house. The world is growing to greater heights and money plays a vital role, so why not teach them now, so that when they grow up, they won’t feel lost and go astray in this world,” Moeen said.

“We teach our kids how to do calculation in maths, such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication — why not use this subject on real-life examples that could help them as they will be implementing this in their lives at a later stage. We teach our kids to grow up, have good manners and discipline — why not something that can make them even smarter and help them make better choices for the future?”

Finance in a primary class

A parent of one daughter, Bindu Satyan, believes that financial skills should be taught to kids in primary classes. She said parents could also play an important role, along with schools, in ensuring that children are well prepared for an independent life.

“Money concepts need to be taught throughout the growing years of a child by using examples and activities. It is highly advisable to start from the primary classes in schools, as whatever is taught by teachers registers in their young minds quickly, and they will take it very seriously, too,” Satyan said.

“It is advisable to start by allowing the students to handle fees and payments, asking them to collect the balance and take note of the amounts. We can also ask them to go to the school store and buy whatever they need. In the primary levels, however, it is advisable not to send cash and currency; instead, we can use children’s savings cards that can be designed for school purposes only. These practices can make the kids feel that they are mature and responsible enough to handle things,” the parent added.

Learning begins at home

In the beginning, they suffer a lot to keep up with the skills they don’t know, and they learn it the hard way.”

Najma Saeed, parent

We teach our kids to grow up, have good manners and discipline — why not something that can help them make better choices for the future?”

Ambreen Haroon Moeen, parent