We live in a country where the dollar is a common topic of conversation, but the true origin of its price remains a mystery to most. Where inflation is debated on household tables, without many knowing how to protect their income from its effects. And where a large part of the population works hard every day, but the feeling persists that money is never enough, it is never enough. This is not due to a lack of effort, but rather a lack of the necessary tools and knowledge.
In Argentina, financial knowledge is notoriously low. A survey by the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) and the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic (BCRA) revealed that the country obtained a score of just 11.5, ranking 37th out of 39 economies evaluated and registering the lowest level in the region. This low level of financial literacy translates into direct consequences. The result? impulsive debt, poor allocation of savings, making financial decisions motivated by fear or habit, and a general feeling of constantly struggling to reach money.
Financial education is not a luxury for specialists, nor an optional course for adults: It is an urgent need that should be taught in school. The kids learn what a cell, a province or a verb is, but not how a credit card works, what it means to ask for a loan or how to put together a family budget. And then, we go out into the world without knowing how to manage our money, in a country where every economic decision counts.
Incorporating financial education in the classroom does not mean teaching how to “get rich” or talking about investments from day one. It means teaching two essential things:
●How a country’s economy works (inflation, fiscal deficit, dollar, interest rates).
●How to manage personal finances (save, plan, decide).
When a teenager understands how inflation impacts their salary or how interest can cause a debt to multiply, your way of seeing the world changes. He goes from being a ‘victim of the system’ to being a ‘protagonist of its decisions’.
What is most worrying is not only the economic situation, but the lack of tools to reverse it. Most families don’t know how to organize their expenses, how to build an emergency fund, or how to choose an investment. And therein lies the root of the problem: Without financial education there is no real inclusionbecause ignorance perpetuates inequality. It’s not about waiting for a politician from one party or another to save us, the point is to develop the tools to get ahead as an individual.
Financial education is that: a form of freedom. It does not promise that the country’s economy will change overnight, but it does promise that each person can make smarter and less impulsive decisions. That every Argentine can look at the price of the dollar without panic, understand their paycheck, plan an expense, or know when a debt is sinking them.
Cultural change begins in the classroom, but also at home, at work and in every daily conversation. TWe have to start by teaching the most basic things: how to take care of what we have so hard to earn..
*Founder of INVERARG.
by Ariel Hernán Mamani
