Mr Cai Yinzhou asked the Minister for Education (a) what is the proportion of Character and Citizenship Education lesson time spent on compulsory financial literacy-related curricula in (i) primary and (ii) secondary levels, respectively; (b) whether the Ministry evaluates any metrics amongst parents and students in each school to assess the effectiveness of these contents; and (c) if so, what these metrics show across educational levels.

Mr Desmond Lee: Our students learn financial literacy through various subjects from primary school to pre-university level. For example, Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) teaches students to differentiate between needs and wants, the value of thrift and the importance of accumulating savings. About five hours of CCE lesson time at primary level is allocated to financial literacy.

Beyond CCE, Mathematics teaches "money" as a topic at the primary level, and the concepts of interest, profit and loss at the secondary level. Through Food and Consumer Education (FCE) at the lower secondary level, students learn financial values and behaviour such as living within one's means, using credit responsibly and to be responsible and discerning consumers.

The Ministry of Education and MoneySense, our national financial education programme, carry out surveys and studies to monitor our students’ and youths’ levels of financial literacy. Internal surveys show that most secondary school students have age-appropriate financial literacy, such as knowing the difference between needs and wants, understanding concepts like compound interest and inflation, and appreciating the importance of saving and budgeting.

Students also take part in financial literacy programmes organised by MoneySense and partners which complement the curriculum. For example, the Institute for Financial Literacy conducts seminars for Junior College students, focusing on concepts and skills in investment management.