"A wise man should have money in his head, not his heart." - Jonathan Swift
This week is the Global Money Week, and many organisations and agencies, both governmental and non-governmental, have been holding different seminars and events to sensitize people about money, its importance, avenues for making money, and ways that they can make it work for them.
I really do appreciate these efforts, but I wish it had begun before now. Although there is an adage that goes, "it's better late than never", I can't help but feel that, for my generation, these efforts to nurture financial responsibility is coming a little later than it should have. Back in the 90s, there was no avenue or platform for financial education for children both in school or church, and the responsibility fell on the parents to make their children understand money and its importance.
Even at this, barely a handful of parents were able to teach their children below the age of 11 the importance of money. There were games like Monopoly then, but very few families bought them, and even fewer understood them or played them. The only school subjects that were 'close' to teaching about personal finance were Business Studies for junior high school students, then Economics and Accounting for senior high school students.
And even these were compulsory for only students that were interested in pursuing a career in Banking, Insurance, and other areas of the economic sector. This created a vacuum that was filled by interest in flashy toys and being 'on trend'. This led to waste of money and the 'get-rich-quick' mentality prevalent in our society today that has led otherwise bright young people to be involved in different vices that have further wrecked the good name and economy of this country.
I believe that it is not only necessary, but it is compulsory that everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, who can spend money has some form of knowledge of good personal finance skills. This can be done through continuing these finance-related seminars and events past this week, making some form of personal finance subject available to kids in school regardless of their choice of career path, and airing personal finance-related programs on radio and television stations.
Little drops of water, they say, makes a mighty ocean. These efforts, no matter how little, can make a huge difference in each individual and the way we see money. And consistently, we could all become financially-responsible people.
- The Lady
“Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.”
James 3:13
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