Promote financial literacy among kids

AFRAH AL BALUSHI

MUSCAT, OCT 21

The inaugural Gulf Forum for Financial Innovation for Public School Students (Grades 10-12) kicked off yesterday, organised by the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS) in cooperation with the Ministry of Education through the Khazna Project for Instilling Cultural Principles in School Students.

Held under the theme ‘Financial Innovation: An Investment in the Future', the three-day event features sessions, workshops, student competitions and excursions.

The opening ceremony was officiated by Majid bin Said al Bahri, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Education for Administrative and Financial Affairs. The forum brought together educators, creative students from GCC countries, and experts in financial and technical fields to exchange knowledge and ideas.

The event aims to promote financial literacy, equip students with essential economic skills, and identify and nurture talent in financial innovation. It also encourages partnerships between educational and financial institutions to develop teachers and foster an innovative financial culture that supports knowledge economies and national development goals.

Dr Haifa al Maamari, Director of the Khazna Project, highlighted the forum as an interactive platform connecting experts and students, reinforcing GCC countries’ aspirations to cultivate financially conscious generations capable of creative problem-solving.

She emphasised that financial literacy is an urgent necessity and that the forum seeks to instil a culture of financial innovation among participants.

Dr Abdulaziz al Ruwais, Programme Director at ABEGS, added that the forum facilitates collective action to study financial innovation in public education, develop student potential and share international best practices. He stressed that integrating financial innovation programmes into public education is an essential response to evolving economic and technological challenges.

The forum’s activities include dialogue sessions, enrichment lectures, workshops, competitions and recreational trips. Competing projects from across the Gulf will be evaluated, with three winning countries announced on the final day.

Participants expressed excitement over the hands-on activities, noting that the forum not only deepens their understanding of financial concepts, but also inspires entrepreneurial thinking.

Many students highlighted the value of interacting with experts and peers from across the GCC, saying that such exchanges broaden their perspectives and motivate them to apply innovative ideas in real-world scenarios.