Financial Literacy Courses to Replace Geography in Israeli Schools

February 23, 2026, 3:00 PM

The Israeli Ministry of Education announced on Monday, February 23, the implementation of a mandatory financial literacy course that will begin in the upcoming school year.

In the first phase, the new subject will be introduced for 9th grade students. Since no additional class hours are allocated for this subject, the course will be taught during geography lessons.

In the future, there are plans to extend this training to 10th grade, but it has not yet been decided which subject will be replaced.

The teachers’ union has already expressed its intention to oppose this initiative, as it was not agreed upon with them and requires retraining for educators.

It is worth noting that the training for financial literacy instructors will primarily be conducted from among geography teachers.

The program, developed in collaboration with the Bank of Israel and the Capital Market Authority, aims to familiarize students with essential concepts such as interest rates, compound interest, stock market, bonds, fees, stocks, bank statements, inflation, returns, management fees, and budgeting.

Additionally, students will learn the basics of labor law, how to read pay slips, and the conditions for hiring minors.

A separate section of the course will focus on consumer behavior and financial decision-making.