No lesson, but debts; too little education about money matters in secondary vocational education

Students in secondary vocational education do not receive enough lessons in how to deal with money. That says Money Wise, a platform of the Ministry of Finance. “It is happening very slowly”, says Olaf Simonse of Wijzer in Geldzaken, “It depends very much on the individual teacher whether he provides financial education and how he implements this.”

from research conducted on their initiative shows that nearly one-third (31 percent) of citizenship teachers surveyed spend five hours or less per school year on their students’ financial skills. At the same time, nearly two-thirds of teachers surveyed (64 percent) say they have students in their class who are experiencing financial difficulties.

Important risk group

The fact that it differs so much per teacher how much attention is paid to it is problematic, says Simonse. “We know that MBO students are an important risk group for debt problems. Education is not a panacea against this, but it can certainly help to prevent debt.”

The subject of financial skills usually falls under the subject of citizenship in secondary vocational education, says Simonse. “That subject is intended to prepare people for their adult life, that’s where this theme belongs.”

Surcharge system is complicated

In 2015 Nibud, institute for budget information, found that 15 percent of MBO students think they have a financial problem. A new study will be published this autumn on the financial situation of MBO students.

“We have seen for years that debt problems are more common among young people with an MBO education,” says a Nibud spokesperson. “That’s partly because they generally graduate at a younger age and have to be independent. In addition, the allowance system in the Netherlands is complicated, for example, and education level also plays a role in how easily you can find your way around it.”

–