Applications open through Monday at e-Financial Education Center

Eight-week online course runs from July; covers 17 topics including allowances, savings and insurance

[Provided by the Financial Supervisory Service]
[Provided by the Financial Supervisory Service]

The Financial Supervisory Service will begin accepting applications Wednesday for the seventh cohort of its FSS Children's Financial School, a program aimed at upper elementary school students.

The program, which has been running since 2021, guides fourth- through sixth-graders and their parents through an online financial education curriculum. Applications are open from 9 a.m. Wednesday through 5 p.m. Monday via the FSS e-Financial Education Center website.

Eligibility is limited to fourth- through sixth-grade students nationwide who have not previously participated. Up to 400 students will be selected by random draw weighted by regional elementary school enrollment. Lottery competition has consistently grown, rising from 4.4 to 1 in 2022 to 9.7 to 1 last year.

The eight-week course runs from July 27 to Oct. 4 and covers 17 topics, including allowance management, consumer decision-making, savings and investment, credit and insurance. Each week, participants complete assigned readings, watch instructional videos and carry out hands-on tasks; the FSS reviews submitted assignments directly and provides individual feedback where improvement is needed. Live review sessions via Zoom, led by professional instructors, will be held four times in total — once at the end of each unit.

Financial literacy surveys conducted by the Bank of Korea and the FSS have consistently found that students score lower on financial attitudes — particularly a preference for spending over saving — than on financial knowledge and behavior, underscoring the importance of systematic financial education from an early age in shaping sound money habits in adulthood.

Students who submit their reading reflections, video-viewing reports and hands-on assignment materials at a rate of at least 70 percent each will earn a completion certificate issued in the name of the FSS governor, along with commemorative gifts. Participants also receive the course textbook "Wise Financial Lifestyle" and a card game, and a separate online lecture series for parents will be offered as well.

Selection results will be posted on the e-Financial Education Center website on July 10, and those chosen will also be notified individually by text message.


psj@heraldcorp.com