Education Minister Adriana LaGrange (Photo: Government of Alberta / Flickr)

By Shaun Penner

Financial Literacy

Province to add more financial literacy learning for junior, senior high students

Apr 21, 2021 | 2:24 PM

Alberta Education is putting out a call for grant proposals from organizations interested in providing financial literacy programming to junior and senior high school students, starting in the fall of 2021.

Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said Wednesday that understanding how money works is a vital lesson for students to learn before they leave school.

“From saving to investing to managing credit and debt, we need those skills,” said LaGrange.

“As part of this grant, students will study important concepts such as costs, interest, debt, investing, insurance and how the economy affects their lives.”

The province pledged up to $1 million for new providers, which will build on top of financial literacy programming already offered by Enriched Academy and Junior Achievement to students across the province.

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Finance Minister and GP-Wapiti MLA Travis Toews says having strong financial literacy skills is crucial for an individual’s success in life.

“There are examples, throughout our lives, how we constantly need to be vigilant about our personal financial planning,” said Toews. “Just think of major life events such as starting out on your own, getting a credit card, buying a house, planning a family.

“Bottom line is financial literacy is important because life demands it.”

Financial literacy was among the several recommendations from the curriculum advisory panel, the province says. In a release, the province says the panel noted many students leave Grade 12 without the basic financial literacy skills needed in everyday life.

That’s why, LaGrange added, that financial literacy is a key part of the draft K-6 curriculum under the practical skills category.

The draft curriculum in recent weeks has drawn much criticism around several aspects of it, notably its social studies expectations. On top of that, a growing number of school divisions have announced they will not be piloting the new draft curriculum in the fall, including the Calgary and Edmonton public school boards.

Despite this, LaGrange says the province continues to work towards the pilot program rolling out in the fall of 2021, adding those who will not be piloting can still provide feedback on the draft.

“By providing written feedback, by taking part in the engagement sessions that we will be conducting, I am very much looking forward to hearing from every single Albertan and every single school authority and teacher… as to their feedback on our curriculum.”

The new curriculum, following next year’s pilot, for Grades K-6 is set to be instituted for the 2022-23 school year.