Students are frustrated because they don't believe they are being taught essential life skills in school that directly relate to the 'real world'. Learning how to buy a house, buy a car, and pay taxes are just a few examples of topics many students wish they would learn from their public education. This petition would like to propose one solution to this problem: Add financial literacy into the Grade 10 Career Studies course.

Financial literacy is understanding how money works: how to earn money, how a person invests to make more money, and how to manage it in order to reach your material goals in life. These skills can also include learning how to properly use a credit card, how to manage student loans for post-secondary education and how to be an entrepreneur.

Here are the statistics according to a recent Investor Education Fund study:

• A significant portion of Ontario high school students aged 14 — 18 don’t have the financial know-how to make informed choices. Only 40% of those surveyed felt prepared to manage their money after graduating high school.
• Only 25% believe they make good spending decisions.
• Only 25% of those surveyed felt their school was doing well in teaching financial literacy.

Three reasons why adding financial literacy into the Grade 10 Career Studies course is the best approach:

1. Financial education goes hand-in-hand with the ‘Career Studies’ course. You cannot have a successful career if you cannot manage your money.
2. ‘Grade 10 Career Studies’ is a mandatory course, meaning that every student would get the opportunity to learn the skills.
3. The current version of the course is considered useless by many students.

Implementing this reform would also provide many benefits to Ontario. Having more young people become financially aware will lead to citizens spending money more responsibly and help reduce poverty in the long-term. A smarter population leads to a stronger Ontario.

Currently, the Ontario Ministry of Education has stated it incorporates financial literacy throughout the curriculum. However, many students know they do not learn enough about this subject. 69% of students believe financial literacy should be taught in the classroom, an increase from 57% in 2009. It is important to allow students to discuss their questions regarding money management in a dedicated environment. Spreading financial literacy throughout the school system is needed, but it is also necessary to have at least one course that explicitly addresses these topics.

We ask those who are in favour of this petition to promote this page to gain awareness on the need for this reform in the course. Share your story regarding this petition as it relates to you. As the names on this petition grow, so does the attention to this cause.

We would like to bring this petition to the Ontario Legislature, specifically to the attention of the Ministry of Education. This requires handwritten signatures. If you would like to also sign the handwritten petition to bring it to the Ontario Legislature, message Prakash@thetyc.ca to find out how to do so. We will be releasing the Ontario Legislature handwritten petition in the near future.

For the full proposal on this initiative, you can read it here.

We thank everyone who supports this initiative.

 

For Parents and Educators:

Financial literacy is vital to a child's future success, especially in today's world. Learning how to prevent fraud, and learning how to budget are examples of the skills students would be learning in the proposed reform of the ‘Career Studies’ course.

In terms of course development, there are many organizations and educational partners that currently conduct financial literacy initiatives in the Ontario school boards that are willing and excited to propose how to integrate the subject into the curriculum. Some organizations are currently working with the government and have even developed parent guides and lesson plans for educators. This is to make sure teachers become knowledgeable and confident enough to teach financial literacy. Therefore, in addition to the input of curriculum advisors, it would not be an issue to come up with a course that teaches financial literacy without giving up the important topics currently taught in the ‘Career Studies’ course.

 

The following organizations and individuals support this petition:

• Credit Canada Debt Solutions.
• DollarSmartKids Enterprises, creators of the Zela Wela Way.
• FuturFund.
• Junior Achievement Central Ontario (JACO).
• Money School Canada.
• The Phoenix Leadership Project.
• TCDSB Trustee Frank D'Amico.
• TCDSB Trustee Garry Tanuan.
• TCDSB Trustee Jo-Ann Davis.
• TDSB Trustee Alexander Brown.
• TDSB Trustee Chris Tonks.
• TDSB Trustee Jennifer Story.
• TDSB Trustee Marit Stiles.
• TDSB Trustee Pamela Gough.
• TDSB Trustee Parthi Kandavel.
• TDSB Trustee Tiffany Ford.
• Toronto Youth Cabinet.