The Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI), in partnership with the National Department of Education (NDoE) successfully concluded a week-long Financial Education Workshop at Koitaki Country Club in Sogeri, marking another significant milestone towards integrating Financial Education as a standalone subject in Papua New Guinea’s national school curriculum.
The workshop brought together officers from CEFI and NDoE of to review and finalise curriculum materials, including the syllabus, teachers’ guides, student resources and activity books.
The objective of the workshop is to review, align, and synchronize the Financial Education Curriculum documents to ensure consistency, coherence, and quality across all curriculum materials, while strengthening the foundation for effective delivery of financial education to learners in Papua New Guinea.
The workshop aims to ensure that learning outcomes, content, teaching resources, and assessment approaches are aligned with national education standards and support the development of financially capable future generations.
Participants further reviewed the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), and prepared documentation and activities to support Papua New Guinea’s engagement with the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI).
Closing the workshop, CEFI Acting Executive Director Mr Peter Samuel commended the First Assistant Secretary for the Curriculum Development Division (CDD) – DoE, Mr Steven Tandale for his leadership and dedication in developing a comprehensive Financial Education curriculum that will prepare future generations to make informed financial decisions throughout their lives.”
“I would like to acknowledge your leadership and your effort in bringing something that was once at the conceptual stage into this significant body of work,” Mr Samuel said.
“You are not only doing this for us, but you are creating a pathway for change in this country.”
Mr Samuel said the curriculum addresses an important gap in Papua New Guinea’s education system by teaching students’ practical financial skills that many adults never had the opportunity to learn.
“We learnt many academic subjects, but no one taught us how to manage our payslip, understand superannuation, insurance or make sound financial decisions,” he said.
“These are real-life skills that every child should have,” he added.
He said the curriculum would lay the foundation for a financially capable society, enabling young Papua New Guineans to make informed financial decisions, build savings, invest wisely and contribute positively to the nation’s economy.
“When you retire, you will be able to place your hand on your heart and proudly say, ‘I was part of this change.’ You are helping shape the mindset of future generations through education,” he said.
Mr Samuel said the workshop had successfully achieved its objectives, with the next phase focusing on teacher consultations before progressing to printing and nationwide implementation.
He added that CEFI would continue working closely with the DoE, the Bank of Papua New Guinea and development partners to secure funding and explore digital delivery options to ensure the curriculum reached schools throughout the country.
Mr Tandale, reaffirmed CCD-DoE’s commitment to embedding financial education into the national curriculum, describing the initiative as a long-term investment in producing financially responsible citizens.
“The work we are doing is very significant,” Mr Tandale said. “Our goal is to ensure that, in the years ahead, children in our schools will know how to manage their money correctly, whether they earn it or receive it. That is our responsibility.”
Mr Tandale said the curriculum materials had received endorsement through the appropriate education processes and that the DoE would now focus on final editing, design, printing and nationwide distribution.
“We have started this journey and we are almost there,” he said. “The next step is to print the books and deliver them to every school in the country.”
He stressed that every child in Papua New Guinea should benefit equally from the programme.
“We do not want these resources limited to selected provinces,” Mr Tandale said. “They are for the whole country because every child deserves the opportunity to learn essential financial skills.”
Also addressing participants, First Assistant Secretary of the Department of National Planning and Monitoring (DNPM) and CEFI Board Director, Mr Sanja Pepae, described the financial education curriculum as a critical national investment that would strengthen financial capability and support Papua New Guinea’s long-term development aspirations.
“What you have done here is not just for the Department of Education,” Mr Pepae said. “From a national development perspective, this is a significant social investment that will benefit Papua New Guinea for many years to come.”
Mr Pepae said previous generations had received little or no formal financial education and emphasised the importance of teaching practical life skills from an early age.
“We learnt mathematics, english and science, but we were never taught how to manage our personal finances, save for the future or spend wisely,” he said. “These are life skills that every child should have.”
He added that financially literate citizens would contribute to stronger families, increased savings, greater investment and improved economic growth.
“When individuals know how to manage and grow their finances, they contribute more to the nation’s development,” Mr Pepae said. “This is how we build a healthy, prosperous and successful Papua New Guinea.”
Ends.
Captions:
Image 1: First Assistant Secretary of the Department of National Planning and Monitoring (DNPM) and CEFI Board Director, Mr Sanja Pepae (fifth from right), CEFI Acting Executive Director Mr Peter Samuel, and First Assistant Secretary for the Curriculum Development Division (CDD), Department of Education, Mr Steven Tandale, join workshop participants in displaying the completed Financial Education Resource Books developed during the workshop.
Image 2: CEFI Acting Executive Director Mr Peter Samuel, DNPM First Assistant Secretary and CEFI Board Director Mr Sanja Pepae, CDD First Assistant Secretary Mr Steven Tandale, Assistant Secretary for the Business and Technology Branch Ms Celine Vavetaovi, and CEFI Manager for Financial Inclusion Capacity Development Ms Shigu Hombunaka admire and review one of the completed Financial Education Resource Books.
Image 3: Senior officers from the Curriculum Development Division review the completed Financial Education Resource Books during the closing ceremony of the workshop.
Image 4: Curriculum Development Division Senior Officer Ms Ileen Palan proudly reflects on her team’s collaboration with CEFI in developing the Financial Education Resource Books.
Imager 5: The completed Financial Education Resource Books developed during the week-long workshop.
Image 6: CEFI Acting Executive Director Mr Peter Samuel delivers his closing remarks, thanking the Curriculum Development Division for its strong collaboration in completing the Financial Education Resource Books.
Image 7: DNPM First Assistant Secretary and CEFI Board Director Mr Sanja Pepae addresses CEFI and Curriculum Development Division officers during the closing ceremony of the workshop.
Image 8: First Assistant Secretary for the Curriculum Development Division, Department of Education, Mr Steven Tandale speaks during the closing ceremony of the workshop.
Image 9: Officers from the Curriculum Development Division participate in the Financial Education Workshop.
Image 10: CEFI staff members participate in the Financial Education Workshop.
Image 11: CEFI Acting Executive Director Mr Peter Samuel delivers his opening remarks at the commencement of the workshop.
Image 12: CEFI Acting Executive Director Mr Peter Samuel and Assistant Secretary for the Business and Technology Branch, Curriculum Development Division, Ms Celine Vavetaovi, address participants during the opening session of the workshop.
Image 13: Assistant Secretary for the Business and Technology Branch, Curriculum Development Division, Ms Celine Vavetaovi delivers her remarks during the closing ceremony of the workshop.
About CEFI
CEFI was established under the Association Incorporation Act and officially launched on the 24th of April 2013. CEFI was endorsed by PNG’s National Executive Council (NEC) as the industry apex organization for coordinating, advocating and monitoring all financial inclusion activities in PNG.
CEFI’s vision, mission and values focus on financial inclusion and literacy, poverty elimination and the promotion of vibrant financial institutional operation in Papua New Guinea.
Visit our website – www.thecefi.org
Media Contact:
Mr. Leslie Omaro
Communication Officer
Phone: 79736883
Email: lomaro@thecefi.org
