The NBU has created a financial literacy website called TALAN. The website was presented on 2 August 2022 at a meeting with teachers to announce the launch of the TALAN summer school of financial literacy for educators.
The project is designed to form and develop a community of financial literacy trainers in Ukraine’s educational sector. It will be of help to teachers who work with both children and adults.
The launch of this online learning platform will contribute to increasing the financial awareness of Ukrainians; strengthening teachers’ financial literacy skills; involving teachers, children and young people in the NBU’s activities; and popularizing educational materials on financial literacy.
The overall financial literacy score of Ukrainians is 12.3 out of the maximum possible score of 21. These are the findings of the research titled: Financial Literacy, Financial Inclusion and Financial Well-being in Ukraine in 2021. It was conducted under the USAID Financial Sector Transformation Project, run jointly with the NBU. The minimum target score recommended by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is 14. The research reveals that young people aged 18–24 are the least financially savvy.
Main causes behind such a low level of financial literacy among young people are as follows:
- Financial literacy is on the curriculum at a mere 10% of schools.
- There is no pro-level system to train teachers in that subject.
- Families often feel inappropriate to talk about money.
- Children mostly have no experience of using financial services.
Meanwhile, the findings of the research mentioned above reveal that 79% of Ukrainians want a course in financial literacy to be taught in schools.
Starting in 2025, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine plans to introduce a new compulsory subject, Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy, for students of grades 8-9, the knowledge of which will help young people to better navigate the market of financial services and use them effectively in their lives. Understanding the benefits of entrepreneurial activity and entrepreneurship in general will have a positive impact on the development and rebuilding of Ukraine in the future.
"The TALAN website is the NBU’s first step to train teachers who will teach Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy in schools. Our second step is to organize training for teachers," Deputy NBU Governor Oleksii Shaban said at the meeting with education workers.
The NBU’s TALAN summer school of financial literacy is a one-month training program on financial topics for teachers. The first 500 educators have been enrolled for the training. Enrollment on new training, which will take place during the winter school holidays, is also underway.
For more information, please visit the TALAN website: https://talan.bank.gov.ua/
Financial literacy is an important prerequisite of financial inclusion, since it allows financial service consumers to use their potential to the fullest and make well-considered financial decisions.
The NBU in September 2019 was given authority to take measures aimed at improving the financial literacy of the public.
The TALAN project – a financial knowledge center (the name originates from the Ukrainian word “talan," which means success, a lucky life) – is designed to help educators to successfully teach financial literacy to young people so that they achieve financial success in their lives.