By: Sukh Toor
Ontario’s Education Minister revealed on Thursday a new plan to teach teens how to file taxes and manage finances. During a visit to St. Mary Catholic Academy in Toronto, Mitzie Hunter, said the pilot projects is focused on a method.
“The educator’s investigation will be on a new approach to the careers course, that allows for the acquisition of skills and knowledge required by the new global economy,” said Hunter.
29 schools across Ontario will take part in the project before the end of the school year. The Ontario Education Board will revise the mandatory career studies course to add financial skills.
Municipal Elections Act Review announcement in 2015. Parliamentary Assistant Rinaldi (Left), Honorable Ted McMeekin and Honorable Mitzie Hunter (Right). Photo by: MMA | MHO
Prakash Amarasooriya is the lead for Toronto Youth Cabinet and the man who pitched the idea to the eduction board.
”I worked at TD Bank and found many students did not know how to manage their accounts,” Amarasooriya said. ”The focus is to teach real life skills, so teens can prepare to deal with the financial aspect of adulthood,” he explains.
“I would have loved to learn how to deal with this sort of situation,” he said.
Teachers from the 29 participating schools will be gathering data from students to aid in advancing the career course.
The project is aimed to help students with financial literacy, entrepreneurship skills, digital literacy, career and life planning.