PANAJI
The Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBSHSE) has directed all recognised secondary schools in the State to implement the National Centre for Financial Education (NCFE) Financial Education Programme to promote financial literacy among students and teachers.
In a circular issued, the Board said the directive follows a communication from the NCFE, which has been set up by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) under the National Strategy for Financial Education.
The Board informed schools that four programmes are being offered free of cost. For students, these include the Money Smart School Program (MSSP) and the National Financial Literacy Assessment Test (NFLAT), while teachers can participate in the Money Smart Teachers Programme (MSTP) and the E-Learning Management System (ELMS).
The MSSP is designed to introduce students to concepts such as saving, budgeting, banking, digital payments, insurance, investing, responsible borrowing and financial planning through age-appropriate learning material. Participating students will receive e-certificates, while meritorious performers will be awarded merit certificates and selected winners will be felicitated by dignitaries from RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, PFRDA and NCFE. Participating schools will also receive a digital badge, a commemorative shield and monetary incentives on successful completion of the programme.
The NFLAT, one of the country's largest free annual financial literacy assessments, is open to students of Classes VI to XII and aims to strengthen their understanding of personal finance. Students will receive participation, merit or outstanding certificates based on their performance, while national and zonal winners will be awarded e-gift cards.
For teachers, the MSTP will provide training in banking, securities, insurance, pensions, fraud prevention and grievance redressal, certifying successful participants as "Money Smart Teachers". The ELMS offers a free five-hour online financial education course comprising 20 modules in English, Hindi and 11 regional languages.
GBSHSE Secretary Cynthia Gonsalves has instructed all school heads to disseminate the information among teachers and students and encourage participation.
