Financial education as a basic need and obligation in school

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by one of our passionate readers, Mr. Antonio Cristóbal Luque Ambrosiani. The opinions expressed within reflect only the writer’s views and not necessarily The European Sting’s position on the issue.

We like to believe Europe is a place where everyone has a fair shot at a good life. But the truth is, the family you are born into still shapes your chances in ways we don’t always see. One of the most overlooked advantages a child can have is something invisible: growing up in a home where money is explained, not feared.

Some children learn early how to budget, save, and plan for the future. Others only meet the world of money when they’re signing their first loan contract. By then, mistakes can be costly, sometimes trapping people in debt for years. It’s not just about how much money a family has, it’s about knowing how to use it, protect it, and make it grow.

In a capitalist system, imperfect as it is, knowledge about money is power. Without it, people are left more vulnerable to bad deals, scams, and financial instability. And when a large part of the population struggles to manage their personal finances, the gap between rich and poor doesn’t just stay, it widens. This is why financial education should be taught in every European school. Not as an optional workshop or a chapter in an economics book, but as a basic life skill, like reading or maths. Because that’s exactly what it is: the language of our economic lives.

The goal isn’t to turn everyone into an investor. It’s to make sure every young adult knows how to budget their salary, understand the true cost of borrowing, and plan for big life decisions without falling into financial traps. With these skills, fewer people would have to rely on emergency state funds just to get by, and more would have the independence to make real choices about their lives.

Some argue that money matters should be taught at home. But we don’t leave literacy or basic numeracy to chance, because we know not every parent can provide that. It should be the same with financial literacy. Otherwise, we are simply allowing privilege to pass from one generation to the next, while those born without it are left to catch up on their own.

Making financial education a universal part of schooling would not erase inequality overnight. But it would give everyone the same starting tools to face the reality of the system we live in. And in the long run, it would make our societies stronger, more stable, and fairer.

If capitalism is the game we’re all forced to play, the least we can do is make sure everyone knows the rules.