Winners of all-Russian contest for best financial literacy educational programme named

Russian school teachers and education coordinators whose financial literacy programmes won the special contest ran in Russia for the first time received their awards in the Bank of Russia on 6 October 2016.

The module to study financial literacy basics has already been included in a school programme as a part of Social Studies discipline, and in 2016-2017 educational year many Russian schools introduced lessons aimed at solving financial tasks of today’s life. Interest in a new discipline is expected to grow and promote both special financial literacy programmes and individual modules included in Social Studies and Mathematics disciplines. However, in many Russian schools financial literacy became a part of the educational process several years ago as an experiment, or as a testing ground for new schoolbooks, or as pure teachers’ enthusiasm.

The contest was organised by Prosveshcheniye publishing house and SAPFIR Association of financial market participants supported by the Bank of Russia and the Academy of advanced training and professional retraining of educational workers under the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation planned to consider the entire spectrum of financial literacy basics programmes and to select the best ones to recommend their mass implementation.

The contest was conducted from 9 August to 20 September 2016. All Russian schools which included the Financial Literacy Basics module in their 2016-2017 educational year packages as a compulsory or elective discipline were welcome to participate. Teachers and education coordinators from 45 regions of Russia sent over 200 entry forms and a competent jury announced winners in four nominations.

‘I’m very pleased with so many teachers responded to our call to join the contest,’ Bank of Russia First Deputy Governor Sergey Shvetsov says in his felicitation. ‘Your innovative ideas can promote successful financial education in the Russian Federation, first and foremost – among school children. Financial literacy is an essential knowledge our children need. In today’s world, one fails to be an adequate citizen without any knowledge of how to operate financial instruments, that is why your work is essential to create modern society in Russia,’ he concludes.

The jury was chaired by Anna Labeznikova, a correspondent member of the Russian Academy of Education (RAE) and the current head of the Centre for Social and Humanitarian Education of the Institute of Education Development Strategy under RAE. When awarding the teachers, she pointed out: ‘It is very important this contest is focused on secondary school teachers as none other but they are capable of transforming all noble aims formulated by coordinators, schoolbooks developers and heads of educational structures into concrete results and find methods to increase pupils’ motivation.’

Here is the list of winners in four nominations:

1. the best programme of an educational course on financial literacy of basic general education (5-9 classes) – obligatory subject: Social Science or Economics:

1. Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area, the city of Surgut (gymnasium No. 2);
2. Kaluga Region, Lyudinovo District, the village of Voilovo (general education school);
3. the city of Moscow (lyceum No. 1561);

1. the best programme of an educational course on financial literacy of basic general education (5-9 classes) – extra-curricular of elective discipline:

1. Volgograd Region, the city of Volzhsky (secondary school No. 29);
2. the city of Penza (secondary school No. 66);
3. the city of Rostov-on-Don (school No. 1);

1. the best programme of an educational course on financial literacy of secondary general education (10-11 classes)

1. Kemerovo Region, the town of Kaltan (secondary school No. 30 named after N. Kolokoltsov);
2. the city of Kemerovo (gymnasium No. 21);
3. the Vologda Region, the city of Cherepovets (gymnasium No. 8);

1. the best methodological financial literacy materials as a presentation (PowerPoint presentation)

1. Krasnodar Territory, the town of Ust-Labinsk (secondary school No. 6 named after I. Sidorenko);
2. Amur Region, Ivanovo District, the village of Ivanovka (secondary school No. 1);
3. Primorye Territory, Pozharsky District, urban-type settlement of Luchegorsk (secondary school No. 1).

Winners in all nominations will be given methodological packages which include textbook called Financial Literacy Basics by A. Chumachenko and V. Goryayev, workbook with practical tasks and methodological recommendations for teachers. The package was developed by Bank of Russia order and was preliminary tested in the Russian Academy of Education which gave its ‘go’ for materials to be used in the general secondary education (10-11 classes) programme. The first edition of the package was published by Prosveshcheniye publishing house. The materials will be sent to school-winners in amounts enough for an academic group.

The first and the second runners-up will get electronic keys to activate e-versions of the educational and methodological package.