Financial literacy curriculum to benefit over 300 head teachers across 23 districts

KAMPALA - The Ministry of Education and Sports has extended its financial literacy initiative, the Cha-Ching curriculum, to 23 districts, reaching over 21,181 pupils and training 300 head teachers across Uganda.

The programme, implemented in partnership with Junior Achievement Uganda and Prudence Foundation, seeks to strengthen financial management skills among both learners and educators.

Some of the beneficiary districts include Kampala, Masaka and Mbale, among others. According to ministry officials, the initiative will be scaled up nationwide by 2026 and adapted for parents and adults with a customised curriculum soon to be rolled out.

Speaking at the Financial Literacy Forum 2025 in Bugolobi, Kampala, senior education officer Christopher Ojama said training teachers in money management is critical because many struggle with loan repayments and unsustainable spending habits.

“Teachers need this knowledge most. If they cannot manage their finances, they risk being hounded by financial institutions, sometimes abandoning their duty posts, which disrupts the learning process,” Ojama said.

The annual forum also marked the launch of the 2025 Cha-Ching Impact Report, showcasing testimonials from schools already benefiting from the programme. Pupils narrated how the curriculum had helped them develop saving habits and better money choices.

Junior Achievement Uganda executive director, Rachael Mwagale, said the Cha-Ching programme is built on four pillars: Earn, Save, Spend and Donate, delivered through engaging content suitable for young learners. “These skills are the foundation for lifelong financial well-being,” she noted.

The initiative has also drawn support from religious leaders, financial experts and head teachers.

Rev. Anne Cherotwo, principal of Ndegeya Core Primary Teachers’ College, emphasised that financially empowered teachers are better role models. She also urged the government and partners to provide teaching tools like projectors to improve delivery in large classrooms.

Uganda Financial Literacy Association chairperson, Daniel Ayebare, announced that district-level associations will soon be created to sustain the programme, with teachers earning stipends to promote financial education during weekends.

Prudential Uganda’s head of marketing and communication, Peter Andrew Mugarura, said the curriculum ensures children grow up with essential money principles embedded in their daily lives.

(L-R) Mary Gorret Nelima, the Headteacher Bumbobi Primary School, Mbale district, Daniel Ayebare, Chairperson, Uganda Financial Literacy Association, Rev. Anne Cherotwo, Principal, Ndegeya Core Primary Teachers College, Nampa Desire, a Pupil of Munyonyo church of Uganda, and Peter Andrew Mugarura, headmarketing and Communication at Prudential Uganda, during the invitation to cover the launch of the Cha-ching financial literacy program on September 3, 2025. (Credit: Mary Kansiime)

The annual event brought together over 200 key stakeholders, including educators, development partners, media and pupils, and featured interactive sessions, a formal launch ceremony and opportunities to experience the Cha-Ching curriculum in action.

The forum was brought to life through a partnership with Prudence Foundation, the charity arm of Prudential Insurance Uganda.

The financial literacy forum was also attended by religious leaders such as Rev. Anne Cherotwo, principal of Ndegeya Core Primary Teachers’ College, who took part in a panel discussion.

The panel also consisted of Mary Gorret Nelima, the head teacher at Bumbobi Primary School in Mbale district, which is under Nyondo Core Teachers’ College, along with Ayebare and Mugarura.

Ayebare said every district is to get a financial association, and through it, teachers will benefit from the financial literacy programme and will be paid to promote this education on Saturdays to ensure it is delivered in a sustainable way to impact many communities.

Rev. Cherotwo said if a teacher can learn how to save and spend wisely, they will teach better.

She also advocated for teachers to be equipped with projectors in their classrooms, saying the tutors’ smartphone screens are usually too small to be viewed by the multitude of pupils eager to see the cartoon characters depicted in the children’s savings curriculum.

On his part, Mugarura noted that this programme ensures that learners have the tenets of money at their fingertips.

“By the time these children grow up and begin to earn money, they will have these money principles at the back of their minds,” he stated.

Some of the pupils who have so far benefited from the curriculum lauded it for improving their financial acumen. These include Anisah Kaweesi, a Primary Six pupil at Phimose Primary School, as well as Adrianan Norah Lyavaala and Timothy Masette, both pupils in the same school.

Desire Nampa, a pupil at Munyonyo Church of Uganda Primary School, said the programme has enhanced her saving skills because she can now afford to buy her own outfits, which has endeared her to her parents.

Since its establishment in 2011 by Prudence Foundation in Hong Kong, the Cha-Ching financial literacy programme has spread across Asia and Africa, equipping communities with financial resilience.

In Uganda, its impact is steadily growing, from thousands of pupils today to a national rollout in the near future.