Financial education in schools: Future -oriented training for our children!

Financial education in schools: Future -oriented training for our children!

St. Pölten, Österreich - On February 26, 2025, the Lower Austrian state councils Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister and Ludwig Schleritzko and Hypo Noe board member Wolfgang Viehauser announced the urgently needed strengthening of financial education in schools at a press conference in St. Pölten. A lack of knowledge of financial issues is a crucial factor for every fifth private bankruptcy. "It is essential that young people acquire the necessary knowledge in order to be able to make financial decisions," emphasized Schleritzko. For this purpose, the integration of financial issues into class is intended to promote better preparation for the students for their later professional life. In order to support this, pilot projects such as the Lower Austrian Financial Function were started at polytechnic schools that received positive feedback.

In addition, the financial driver's license, which is introduced in cooperation with the Lower Austria Chamber of Lower Austria, emphasizes practical modules that give young people awareness of budget planning, saving and investing. The exact training aims to warn young people of the risks of over -indebted consumption behavior and teach them the skills for a safe handling of their money. "We have to prepare the youth particularly against the background of increasing living expenses," said Markus Wieser, President of AK Lower Austria. This initiative is an important step towards strengthening financial education and is intended to help against social challenges such as poverty and social exclusion, as Teschl-Hofmeister emphasized.

growing challenge

The education initiatives are no coincidence: According to the debt report of a state -recognized debt advice, many young people are looking for support - over 30 % of clients are under 35 years old. "The Lower Austrian Financial Fill is the result of our commitment to improve the financial competence among young people. This gradually clarification is urgently required because many young people are in difficulty without adequate financial education," explained Michael Lackenberger, Managing Director of the debt counseling Lower Austria. Despite the positive developments, a survey shows that only 35 % of the students feel sufficiently prepared for financial decisions.