Financial Literacy Coming to Saskatchewan Classrooms

The province’s 28 school boards, have adopted recent resolutions in support of developing a personal finance class for high school students and of implementing a provincial strategy to address financial literacy for all students. Deputy Premier and Education Minister Gordon Wyant announced today that writing is set to begin in April for new financial literacy courses. These courses will soon be available to help ensure Saskatchewan students are prepared for a successful future.

In response to requests from the education sector and industry stakeholders, including the Saskatchewan School Boards Association and the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, new financial literacy curricula are being developed for Grade 11 and 12 students. Grades 7 - 9 teachers will also be able to introduce their students to financial literacy topics by using modules from these curricula in middle level Practical and Applied Arts courses.

Curricula are written by ministry consultants along with teachers who apply and are selected by the Ministry of Education in consultation with the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation. Curriculum development and implementation is approximately a two-year process, during which the writing team consults with industry experts to incorporate industry standard learnings.

During the 2016-17 school year, Legislative Secretary Lisa Lambert met with education sector stakeholders throughout the province to obtain feedback regarding curriculum renewal. As a result of her consultation, the Ministry of Education restarted curriculum renewal processes for a number of areas. In the fall of 2017, a Practical and Applied Arts reference committee was formed to provide direction and later recommended that financial literacy courses be developed. The financial literacy courses should be ready for piloting in the 2018-19 school year with full implementation as early as September 2019.