Financial education ‘must be introduced cleverly’

Financial education is a must for schools, but should be introduced in a smart way.

This is the view of Kim Stephenson, an occupational psychologist and author of Taming the Pound: Making Money Your Servant, Not Your Master.

He noted that it is wanted by teachers and parents, while students need it, but warned it must be added to the curriculum "intelligently".

The "you must do this pointless subject" approach would fail as this would make it like Latin or the study of Shakespeare, carried out in a way that "often puts students off rather than catching their interest".

Mr Stephenson argued that the best way forward is to teach using real life experiences, noting that "with thought," financial education can be integrated into various subjects, not just obvious ones like maths.

Debt and other financial struggles may come to many at a young age.

An AIC poll revealed last week that 54 per cent of students expect to be £20,000 in debt when they finish their courses.

By Joe White