When it comes to the courses one would learn in grade school, a number of different topics can come to mind. Earth science and algebra may be just a couple of examples but you probably would have never thought about finance being something that an 11-year-old would be able to pick up on. However, it seems as though there is truth to this and Bob Jain will be able to say the same. With this in mind, how useful can a topic like finance be at such a young age?

According to an article on the Guardian, schools that follow the English national curriculum will start to incorporate more finance-focused classes. Specifically, money-related math problems - in addition to budgeting, pensions, and other such topics - will be given to students ranging from 11 to 16 years of age. In one sense, these are important topics to learn about, since they'll come in handy in the future. In another sense, though, it has to be wondered whether children are too young for this subject matter.

This change in curriculum, according to the article, was done in order to address the issues related to debt as of late. Bob Jain, as well as others, can see why such bits and pieces of information have been distributed to those who may be deemed "too young" to learn about finance. However, there is usefulness in the ability to form a budget that will last. In fact, many of these topics can prove to be effective and authorities the likes of Jain may not say differently.

As I read through this story, I started to see that there were concerns when it came to both students and parents alike. They didn't know why these sorts of classes were needed, which is understandable considering how topics like finance can be picked up on during college. In addition, who's to say that these classes won't take away from other subjects, mathematics and social studies included? There's been criticism brought to the forefront and I can see why.

Is it possible that classes like these will hinder the overall learning process for students across the board? It's hard to say whether or not this will be the case, since the school year hasn't even started yet. This report goes over certain details, yes, but it doesn't exactly give us an impression of what can happen in the future. Only with time can we figure out how these classes will affect learning but the idea of more finance-focuses courses definitely has its value.