Conference Program

The formal introduction of financial education into the Italian school system as part of the civic education curriculum must draw attention to the teachers tasked with delivering it, as they themselves belong to a vulnerable group; indeed, they have never studied economics or finance, either at school, at university, or even during their initial teacher training. And today, without specific training, financial education risks remaining merely an educational objective rather than a genuine teaching practice.

If we consider that the majority of Italian teachers are women and that women are among those with the least financial education—on average displaying lower levels of financial literacy and less confidence in their own financial skills—then this becomes a limiting factor in educating younger generations.

Consequently, in an education system staffed by teachers who, like many adults in contemporary society, have not received adequate financial education during their university or professional training, schools struggle to promote financial literacy among students.

It is necessary to recognise that teachers, too, require structured training programmes in economic and financial literacy.

The report highlights the need to ensure that teachers’ economic and financial training is not neglected, through two channels: the establishment of university-level professional development courses for serving teachers, aimed at developing basic economic skills and specific teaching abilities for financial education, and integrating economic and financial education content more systematically – than has been the case for at least a decade – into the initial training programmes for teachers across both school cycles.

Investing in teachers’ economic training means not only improving the effectiveness of financial education policies but also helping to reduce widespread economic and cultural vulnerabilities among the adult population. From this perspective, schools can become educational spaces capable of promoting critical thinking, independent decision-making, and democratic participation in economic and social life.