Kuala lumpur: Over 7,000 government school teachers nationwide have benefited from the Train-the-Trainer (TTT): Personal Financial Management for Teachers programme, aimed at enhancing personal financial management practices, as of March this year. Financial Industry Collective Outreach (FINCO) announced that data collected three months post-training indicated significant behavioural improvements among the participants.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, 62 per cent of participants are now saving more than 10 per cent of their monthly income, an increase of 24 per cent from baseline data. Additionally, 58 per cent are saving or investing more than 10 per cent of their income for retirement, marking a 27 per cent rise. This achievement aligns with the national policy agenda under the National Strategy for Financial Literacy 2026-2030 (NFLS 2.0) and the Financial Inclusion Framework 2023-2026, focusing on enhancing financial decision-making, encouraging savings, strengthening retirement preparedness, and building financial resilience.
Feedback from participants indicates positive reception, with a teacher from Melaka expressing that the programme enabled her to learn and share practical financial knowledge with colleagues. This encouragement has led her to organize more finance-related activities for students at her school.
Led by the Financial Education Network (FEN), the TTT programme emphasizes developing practical financial management skills to create meaningful changes in participants' lives. The initiative expanded to government school teachers nationwide in October 2025 after 209 teachers and lecturers from the Institute of Teacher Education Malaysia (IPGM) completed training to become certified trainers between August and September last year.
FINCO chief executive officer Clare Walker highlighted the crucial role of teachers' financial well-being in their classroom effectiveness. She noted that teachers' financial well-being directly influences their ability to focus and inspire students, and the programme's success underscores the importance of practical financial education initiatives.
FINCO chairman Tan Sri Azman Hashim emphasized the importance of collaboration within the financial industry to achieve sustainable impact, noting the sector's social responsibility to improve financial literacy nationwide. He stressed the significance of synergy between education and financial sectors in fostering a culture of prudent financial management among teachers and their students.
The TTT programme is implemented through industry collaboration coordinated by FINCO, with participation from entities such as AmBank Group, Bank Muamalat Malaysia, Bank Simpanan Nasional, Yayasan CIMB, Hong Leong Bank, Public Bank, RHB Bank, FWD Insurance, and Sea Ltd.