Quebec high school students will soon be graduating with a bit more financial savvy, or at least that’s the hope, thanks to Quebec’s new financial literacy class.
The mandatory course, worth two credits, will be added to the Secondary 5 curriculum next September.
Quebec’s education minister Sebastien Proulx made the announcement Friday.
The new class aims to teach students about personal finances but will be introduced at the expense of the Contemporary World class which focuses on global political, environmental and economic issues.
The Contemporary World course will see its teaching time cut in half to make way for the new class.
The Federation autonome de l’enseigment (FAE), an umbrella organization representing 34,000 unionized teachers in Quebec, accused the government of wanting to make students into “good consumers” rather than “enlightened citizens.”
The FAE also said the move was precipitated, arguing that pedagogical resources and teacher training were insufficient.
The union is hoping the government will maintain the status-quo until the September 2018 and is considering legal action.