Reader’s Opinion | Home economics education strengthens young people’s economic skills

Opinion|Reader’s opinion

At schools plays an important role in strengthening and equalizing young people’s financial skills and in maintaining emotional speech related to money and spending. This is what Anna-Liisa Parkkinen and coordinator Linda Lopperi wrote (HS Opinion 28.11.).

A large part of people’s everyday activities is related to using and spending money in some way. Eating, living, moving and hobbies are all consumption. Managing one’s own finances and knowing how to use money are essential basic skills for a citizen. To teach these things, we have an excellent subject in Finnish primary school, home economics. Home economics education supports young people’s growth into responsible consumers who know their own rights and responsibilities, who also know how to recognize feelings and their meanings related to money talk and spending money. The lessons teach basic things about money management, for example interpreting and paying invoices, financial planning and monitoring, as well as problems with money management and how to deal with them.

There is a lot to do and too little time. Home economics is studied in accordance with the current timetable as a common subject for three classes per week during the 7th grade. In practice, about 80 hours during the entire nine-year elementary school. The number of hours should accommodate teaching content on consumer and financial skills, housing and living together, as well as food skills and food culture. It’s no wonder that only a few young people remember studying financial skills at school.

The teaching of home economics in basic schools should be strengthened and weekly hours assigned to it as a common subject for all, also for the upper years of basic school. In this way, the teaching of consumer and financial skills would be targeted at young people who spend money more independently, are able to better recognize and understand emotions related to money and affect spending, and may already be approaching their own, independent everyday life away from home.

In this case, Parkkinen’s and Lopper’s wish would come true, that our common goal is to create good and equal opportunities for future generations to build a sustainable economic future.

Marja Väärälä

lecturer in home economics, Helsinki

The reader’s opinions are speeches written by HS readers, selected and edited by the HS editorial staff. You can leave an opinion piece or familiarize yourself with the principles of writing at the address www.hs.fi/kiryotamielipidekeisuis/.