Colombia bill mandates financial education from preschool

A new bill filed in Colombia's Congress would make financial education mandatory in all public and private schools from preschool through 11th grade. The proposal (Project 067 of 2026) aims to equip students with money-management skills before adulthood.

What the bill proposes

The initiative, sponsored by Representative Santiago Castro (Centro Democrático), creates a National Program for Economic and Financial Education. The curriculum would be age-adapted:

• Preschool and early grades: Basic concepts like money, saving, needs vs. wants, and the value of work through playful activities. Source: El Colombiano
• Elementary school: Budgeting, saving, entrepreneurship, and consumer education. Source: El Colombiano
• Secondary school: Financial planning, banking system, credit, risks, consumer rights, and basic taxation. Source: Infobae
• 10th–11th grade: Personal finance, investment, retirement savings, insurance, risk management, and digital finance. Source: El Colombiano

Castro said the program would help students "face day-to-day problems" and plan for life events like marriage, children, housing, and retirement. Source: Infobae

Why it's needed

Colombia lags in financial literacy. The country scored 379 points on the PISA financial literacy test, well below the OECD average of 500. Additionally, 40.5% of adults cannot calculate a compound interest rate, and 60.3% do not understand inflation's effect on purchasing power. Source: Infobae The bill seeks to reduce risky practices like using informal lenders ("gota a gota") by teaching proper credit use and risk identification. Source: El Colombiano