Get rid of religious education in school and start teaching courses like this. Financial literacy.
To be fair, we need to stop blaming the church for what is happening in the schools. They may run them from an admin point of view, but the department are the ones that sets the curriculum. Currently there are modules of financial literacy included in subjects such as business organisation (or whatever its called now), but would make more sense to me a module in the Transition Year programme, if it belongs anywhere in second level.
In my personal view, it does not belong in secondary school - as financial literacy means very little to those not earning a proper salary. Personally, I would have it as a mandatory course (potentially different modules/focus) which should be triggered at various events in a persons life (either linked to Revenue or Social Welfare), for example:
- first job, as a precondition to being issued the personal tax credit
- first time being self-employed - similarly precondition to earned income credit
- signing onto social welfare for the first time
- availing of joint assessment tax assessment for the first time (and if you go back to single assessment afterwards)
- availing of children's allowance for the first time
- setting up a pension for the first time
- drawing down your pension for the first time
- availing of any tax break associated to a mortgage facility
Would everyone learn something from it - yeah probably. Would a few wise souls on AAM get frustrated by having to attend it - yeah maybe, but in the grand scheme of things it would be beneficial to everyone. We all have to sit a driver theory test, do the required number of lessons, sit the driving test etc - this is just something similar but from a financial point of view.
I think the State needs to stop trying to outsource its responsibilities to others, whether it be charities, church or ANO. The state should '
man up' and recognise too many citizens in the country are not financially literate enough, and actually go do something about it.