20 November 2007 Media Statement

Helping younger students learn about money

Whether saving, borrowing, earning or spending it, money is an important part of everyday life and new booklets will help younger students learn more about it, Minister of Education Chris Carter says.

Launching the Figure It Out booklets today, the Minister said they provided valuable information and would add to the numeracy tools already available to teachers.

“The new curriculum released earlier this month identifies the importance of being financially literate and these lively books tell us all the things we need to know about money, including how to plan for a healthy financial future.

“They tell students how to earn, spend, save and borrow, how to give money to charity as well as how to be enterprising and innovative with money.”

Some of the characters in the books have bright business ideas and some have financial dilemmas, with students encouraged to think how they would resolve the problem.

The books, with their accompanying Answers and Teachers’ notes, are the latest in the Figure It Out series of seventy books being published as part of the Numeracy strategy.

The strategy contributes to the Labour-led government’s goal of ensuring students are confident and capable both mathematically and financially, recognising that everyone needs to be able to make considered, sensible financial decisions.

The books will be distributed free to all state and integrated primary and intermediate schools.

Copies of the Figure it Out series are available for purchase from: Customer Services, Learning Media Ltd, phone 0800 800 565 or by emailing to orders@learningmedia.co.nz

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