Cambodian students from grade 1 to 12 will begin studying basic financial skills starting in the 2019 academic year as the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) is now finalising the curriculum.

NBC director-general Chea Serey said Thursday that the new curriculum would help boost the students’ financial literacy at an early age.

While no new subject will be added to the existing national curriculum, Serey said financial literacy topics will be embedded into subjects like mathematics, home economics, social studies, life skills and civics.

“From next year onward, young students from grade 1 to 12 will have a better understanding of financial topics such as interest rate calculation, the definition of a loan, saving concepts, and many others,” she said.

According to Serey, the next phase is to have texts written and to train teachers, after which the project will be officially launched.

While the key stakeholders in the process are the NBC and MoEYS, the project also received technical and financial support from partners such as the Asian Development Bank, Good Return and World Education Cambodia.