The RBI Governor Dr D Subbarao launched the revised mathematics textbooks for schools on Monday, with modules and chapters dedicated to financial literacy for classes 5, 7, 8 and 9 in the state. Modules on financial literacy will also be incorporated for students of pre-university in the state.
Speaking at the launch of the books, Dr Subbarao said the launch was the culmination of 11 months of co-operation and collaboration between the State Government and the RBI.
“Schoolchildren need to know about how to spend or save money. They need to understand the system to become responsible citizens of the country,” Subbarao said.
The RBI governor also urged the Education Department in the State to evaluate the effectiveness of the financial literacy programme after a period of one year. The initiative is part of RBI’s efforts to promote financial literacy among school children and is also one of the objectives of the institution’s platinum jubilee celebrations.
Karnataka is the first State in the country to incorporate chapters on banking and financial literacy into the syllabus. The chapters have been incorporated into English, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi textbooks.
The financial literacy programme will gradually be extended to other States in the country as well.
Prizes were given away to students who emerged victorious in quizzes that the RBI conducted across the State as part of the campaign.
The quizzes were conducted in 6,089 schools and 2,819 pre-university colleges across the State.
The RBI also launched the Electronic Benefit Transfer Scheme as a pilot project in six districts of the State.
The scheme will be available in Bellary, Chitradurga, Gulbarga, Mandya, Dharwad and Chamarajnagar districts.