The path to financial education begins in schools. The Ministry of Education revealed for the first time yesterday the curriculum for the new mandatory subject. According to the ministry, 550 teachers have been trained so far, and at the beginning of September, approximately 750 additional teachers are expected to join the training.
In October, about 1,300 teachers will undergo a continuation course that will complete a total of 60 training hours for 9th-grade teachers. At the beginning of 2027, additional training programs will open for 10th-grade teachers, allowing interested teachers to complete a cumulative professional training course of 120 hours. The program's goal is to strengthen the financial literacy of Israeli students and to develop the social, emotional, and economic resilience of education system graduates, enabling them to make informed and responsible decisions throughout their lives.
What will the students learn?
The curriculum was built in a spiral structure, combining economic knowledge, behavioral psychology, and the development of life skills. The program focuses on providing practical tools for informed financial management, while creating a connection between the students' world and real-life situations, and incorporates four main content axes.
Wise consumerism and financial decision-making, the world of money and banking, the labor market in a changing world, and investments between opportunity and risk.
In the section "Conscious Consumerism and Financial Decision-Making," students will learn to recognize the factors influencing economic decisions, distinguish between needs and wants, understand the impact of marketing mechanisms and peer pressure, and learn tools for responsible decision-making.
Additionally, in the 10th grade, the focus will expand to setting personal goals and objectives, budget planning, and making economic decisions adapted to achieving short- and long-term goals.
In the section "The World of Money and Banking," 9th-grade students will learn the basic concepts of the monetary world, the development of traditional and digital payment methods, and the impact of economic processes such as supply and demand, inflation, and the cost of living on daily life. In the 10th grade, the study will expand to conduct dealings with the banking system, including bank account management, understanding credit products, and learning about the role of the central bank.
In the section "The Labor Market in a Changing World," 9th-grade students will be exposed to working youth rights and basic aspects of integration into the employment world. In the 10th grade, learning will expand to changes occurring in the labor market in the technological era, future professions, skills required in the changing work environment, and reading and understanding a pay stub across its various components.
In the section "Investments – Between Opportunity and Risk," 9th-grade students will be exposed to basic financial concepts such as interest, compound interest, various types of savings, including insurance as a savings vehicle. In the 10th grade, the focus will expand to the world of investments, and students will learn about a variety of investment avenues, including the capital market, real estate, human capital, and foreign exchange, alongside understanding the link between risk and return and the importance of risk diversification in financial decision-making.
Education Minister Yoav Kisch, who initiated the program, welcomed the move: "This is an important and welcome step in building the next generation to handle the challenges of the world outside. Throughout the entire process, I believed that the education system should provide knowledge and skills that will enable young people to successfully deal with life's challenges. I am proud to lead this revolution and to grant every male and female student in Israel a practical financial toolkit that will serve them for the rest of their lives."