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The air in the classroom felt thick with the afternoon heat, even with the fans whirring. It was a Tuesday, just before Children’s Day, and the topic wasn’t the usual — it was money. Specifically, how to make it work for you, even when you’re still figuring out long division.
You see it more and more. Young Indians, not just in the big cities, are getting a crash course in finances. Schools are starting to incorporate financial education into the curriculum, and a whole host of edtech companies are vying to make money lessons fun. The goal? To instill good habits early, so these kids don’t make the same mistakes many adults do.
I spoke with a teacher at the Modern School in Delhi, Ms. Sharma, who confirmed this shift. She mentioned that the school had revamped its economics program last year, incorporating interactive sessions on budgeting and investing. “We’re trying to move away from just memorization, you know? It’s about practical application,” she said. And it shows — the kids seemed genuinely engaged, not just going through the motions.
The tricky part is making it stick, of course. It’s one thing to learn about compound interest, another to actually put it into practice. But the early signs are promising. There are stories emerging of young investors, some barely teenagers, already dabbling in the stock market or putting money into savings accounts.
One such example is 14-year-old Rohan from Mumbai, who reportedly started investing in mutual funds with his pocket money last year. His father helped him set up an account, but the decisions, as per reports, are his own. It’s a trend, this empowerment. Or maybe I’m misreading it.
The rise of financial literacy among children in India is, in a way, a reflection of the changing economic landscape. More families are financially aware and want their children to be as well. It’s a long game, of course. The real test will be years down the line, seeing how these early lessons translate into financial independence and responsible choices. But for now, the classroom is buzzing, and the future, at least in financial terms, looks a little brighter.
