The Old Mutual Group and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) have unveiled a financial literacy online program targeting junior and senior school teachers. The module was developed in response to the need to mainstream financial literacy education through existing curricula.
In the current Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), financial literacy has been mainstreamed in almost all the learning areas, from pre-primary to senior school levels. Several studies carried out on financial literacy in Kenya have shown that a greater percentage of the population is not financially literate, calling for consultative efforts to provide financial education from an early stage. The studies also highlighted that the capacity to teach financial concepts can be strengthened by high-quality and engaging digital and non-digital content resources.
Old Mutual invested an initial Ksh. 25 million in the program, achieving several key milestones. These include the integration matrices and guidelines in 2021, online orientation courses for financial literacy teachers in 2022, and the pilot program in 2023 along with a financial literacy toolkit for learners in 2024.
The online program is now available to all junior school teachers, with senior secondary school teachers onboarded from 2026. It is accessible via the Elimika platform, a cloud-based training portal that enables teachers to hone their skills through capacity building courses in multiple topics.
Speaking at the launch, Prof. Charles Ong’ondo, KICD CEO said, “The learning gaps that were identifies during our pilot, informed the extent to which Financial Literacy could be infused into other learning areas. Financial literacy is a tool for empowerment and teaching it in schools is no longer an option but a necessity to equip learners with the knowledge needed for a successful future.”
On his part, Old Mutual Group CEO, Arthur Oginga said, “We are ready to work with all relevant partners in this area to ensure we have a generation of financially sound mind,” said Mr. Oginga. He further elaborated that their partnership with KICD is part of Old Mutual’s Learn.Think.Do (LTD) initiative which aims to mainstream financial education in empowering sustainable and responsible financial well-being for Africa’s youth.