Lessons on Dangers of Online Scams and Plans to Expand Financial Literacy Programmes in Schools
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin’s inquiry on school lessons regarding online scam dangers and the expansion of financial literacy programmes to include safe online banking habits. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing responded that students learn to verify information and recognise various scams through Character and Citizenship Education, Social Studies, and Food and Consumer Education. He highlighted that the Singapore Student Learning Space offers self-paced financial literacy resources, emphasizing media literacy and responsible consumer habits. The Ministry of Education also collaborates with the Singapore Police Force and the Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams to deliver updated anti-scam programmes in schools. These ongoing efforts aim to equip students with the skills to evaluate online sources and manage evolving cybersecurity risks effectively.
Transcript
4 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for Education (a) what lessons are incorporated in schools to teach students about the dangers of online scams; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider expanding financial literacy programmes in schools to include lessons on common banking services, practices and safe habits on online banking.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: In school, students are taught to guard against scams through various subjects and resources.
Character and Citizenship Education classes teach students to evaluate and verify the credibility of online information sources and to recognise and report different types of online scams, including phishing scams, online purchase scams and Internet love scams.
Food and Consumer Education classes teach lower secondary students to be a discerning consumer, exercise financial responsibility, and not fall prey to scams.
Social Studies classes teach students the impact of cybersecurity risks and are equipped with information and media literacy skills to critically evaluate different sources of information, both online and offline.
The Singapore Student Learning Space provides self-paced lessons for all students to learn financial literacy.
As scams constantly evolve, the Ministry of Education will continue to work closely with partners, such as Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams, the Singapore Police Force and other agencies, to promote anti-scam messages through talks and programmes in schools and Institutes of Higher Learning. Public education for adults would still be needed.