Financial education always tends to slip into the list of pending subjects in Spanish society, as shown in OECD data. Thus, the PISA reports reveal that Spanish 4th year ESO students are 12 points below the average in this subject. Although, despite everything, our country is improving year after year, thanks to the different initiatives promoted by different public and private organizations.
And the academic curriculum leaves room to work on this type of content through transversal themes, thanks to the latest modification of the educational law (LOMLOE). That is, financial education can be addressed by teachers as part of the syllabus of several subjects. Specifically, the regulations incorporate it through two key competencies: Entrepreneurship and Mathematics, and those related to Science, Technology and Engineering.
At the same time, financial education also has a specific development in several subjects of Primary Education, ESO, Baccalaureate and Vocational Training, such as Mathematics or Education in Civic and Ethical Values, among others, according to the report. Financial competence in the Spanish educational systemcommissioned by the Financial Education Plan—an initiative promoted by the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV), the Bank of Spain and the Ministry of Economy, Commerce and Business.
Specific programs aimed at the school-age population are also promoted by the financial entities themselves. This is the case of ABANCA and Afundación, organizations that since 2015 have promoted a specific plan that, last year alone, reached more than 200,000 students. Its objective is for this subject to be relevant from childhood and adolescence, since, in the opinion of those responsible, the key is to improve their financial culture, which implies not only having knowledge, but also developing a positive attitude towards financial management. money and adopt behaviors that allow you to achieve long-term financial well-being. In short, a vital goal that appeals to emotions and the importance of living life with fewer worries.
To expand the scope, ABANCA has opted for the implementation of digital formats that facilitate the teaching of financial concepts in an enjoyable and accessible way. In this way, the three free programs have names as suggestive for students as Surely, The crazy adventure of savings and Put your money safe.
In the first of them, participants must organize a school festival, with the challenge of raising funds for an extracurricular activity, all aligned with the values of sustainability and the promotion of local culture. This approach not only allows them to acquire knowledge about economic management, but also promotes collaboration, commitment to the environment and entrepreneurship.
The quality of this program has been recognized nationally, receiving the award Finance for everyone from the Bank of Spain and the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV), as well as an award from the Spanish Confederation of Savings Banks (CECA) for its contribution to financial education.
On the other hand, the program The crazy adventure of savingswhich reaches its fifth edition, has been designed for boys and girls between 1st and 6th grade of Primary. This collaborative game introduces essential concepts about saving and responsible consumption in a fun way. Aligned with the curricular objectives of the LOMLOE, this project teaches the little ones to distinguish between needs and desires, promoting balanced consumption habits through everyday examples and simple mathematical operations.
The importance of cybersecurity is another of the topics that ABANCA has integrated into its educational offering through the program Put your money safe. In this case, focused on secondary and basic and intermediate vocational training students, it teaches young people to identify and protect themselves from threats in the digital environment. In a context where fraud and scams on-line are increasingly common, this initiative seeks to train students as “specialized agents” in digital security, providing them with tools to recognize risks such as phishingmalicious applications and scams on social networks or cryptocurrencies. As a novelty, this year participants can access tutoring on-line with pedagogical advisors, which guarantees continuous support during learning.
Within the financial education program, ABANCA also supports the development of business skills in young people through the program Young Business Talent. This initiative uses a business simulation for participants to experience managing a real company. In its last edition, more than 11,400 young people from all over Spain participated in this game, which allowed them to develop key skills in decision making, business strategy and problem solving.
Closing the digital divide
In parallel to the efforts with younger people, ABANCA and Afundación have also focused a large part of their efforts on improving the financial inclusion of older people. This group faces particular challenges, especially in rural areas. For this reason, since 2022, a specific program has carried out a total of 114 training actions, with the participation of nearly 1,200 people.
So far in 2024, 53 additional sessions have already been held. These include a theoretical part, which explains, for example, the most common operations that can be performed at an ATM, and a practical part, which demonstrates the operation of these devices in real time. This practical approach has been crucial in increasing the confidence of older users and allowing them to carry out their tasks autonomously. In addition, they are offered guidance on mobile banking and basic security measures.
These workshops have also focused on the prevention of financial fraud, providing seniors with knowledge about the most common methods of fraud, such as phishingvishing and smishing. ABANCA volunteers, who teach the sessions, play a fundamental role in offering personalized attention and answering all the questions of this group.
#Savings #security #entrepreneurship #universal #financial #education
