C.B.S.I’s AIMS TO INCLUDE FINANCIAL INCLUSION INTO CURRICULUM

The Governor of the Central Bank of Solomon Islands (CBSI) Denton Rarawa has said one of the bank’s main agenda is to introduce financial inclusion into the education system as part of the national curriculum.

The CBSI Governor made the remark while delivering his keynote address to mark the  launching of “The Pan Oceanic Bank, Pikinini Savings Gift Scheme last Friday.

He said the objective is to teach the concepts of savings, budgeting, financial planning to children from Primary School to Secondary.

“In terms of our work in the bank in terms of financial inclusion, one of our main agendas is to introduce financial inclusion into the education system as part of the national curriculum. That project has started but slow because the Ministry of Education hasn’t been or is taking its time, but the objective is to teach concepts such as savings, budgeting, financial planning and all these to the children from primary school from class one up to form three.”

Mr Rarawa added part of CBSI’s intention is to encourage commercial banks introduce products similar to POB’s Pikinini Savings Gift Scheme.

“And part of the intention is to encourage the banks to come in and introduce products such as this. That’s why I am very grateful and I must say thank you to POB for actually taking the lead in this area. We were trying to encourage the banks to come in and open bank accounts for children at school so that when they learn these concepts as part of their class work, they will also have a bank account that ties this concept and they will use these as part of their savings.”