On Wednesday, the results of the 2015 PISA report were presented in Paris, confirming that financial education levels are not improving, neither in Spain nor in OECD countries in general. It is impossible not to react negatively when observing Spain’s position in the ranking. Our adolescents lack the knowledge and skills to manage their money and ensure a good start in adult life. The Secretary-General of the OECD, Ángel Gurría, provided a very clear diagnosis and prescribed remedies. These results are an urgent call to action: more resources must be invested in financial education, and it must be instilled at an early age. All stakeholders must get involved and work towards the same goal.
In addition to this call to action regarding the lack of progress in financial education over the past three years, a quick review of the document reveals other important messages that require deep reflection to find concrete solutions.
The first message is that one in four adolescents in Spain lacks the financial knowledge considered minimal. This is also true in Australia and the Netherlands, countries where the average financial culture is much higher. Beyond the large number of adolescents lacking basic knowledge, the gap between those who know very little and those who know more widens according to the student’s socioeconomic level. This indicates that if we want to create a more egalitarian society, educational efforts must focus on the most disadvantaged environments.
Another key point of the report is that although there is a clear relationship between mathematics proficiency, reading comprehension, and financial literacy, other factors influence the ability to manage finances that are not directly related to what is learned in school. This is the case for Spain, which has obtained lower results than countries with the same level of mathematics and reading comprehension; while China and Russia perform better than other countries with similar levels in those two areas. During the seminar, representatives from these two countries, which have climbed to the top positions in financial culture, commented on the need to provide students with enriching experiences in financial education to complement the knowledge imparted by teachers. They also highlighted how banks’ initiatives in this area have helped consolidate these concepts.
