Zoud, the National Financial Wellbeing and Sustainability Initiative, has partnered with HAL Education to deliver a financial literacy programme targeting more than 500 educational institutions across the UAE. The initiative will cover 400 schools and 110 universities over a two-year period.
The programme aims to equip students with practical financial skills covering money management, budgeting and saving. It seeks to help young people make informed financial decisions and prepare for financial independence.
Natalia El Menhall, Programme Director at Zoud, said investing in financial literacy among younger generations is fundamental to strengthening financial wellbeing across society. She stated that providing young people with the knowledge and tools to manage their financial resources contributes not only to developing individual skills but also to building a more financially aware, responsible and resilient society.
El Menhall added that the partnership aims to establish financial literacy as an essential life skill and integrate it into young people’s educational experience from an early age. This approach is intended to enable students to understand their financial responsibilities and plan for their futures with confidence and independence.
Fathima Nazeeha Najimudeen, Founder and CEO of HAL Education, said financial literacy is an essential skill that helps young people navigate different stages of life with confidence. She noted that the partnership will provide students across the UAE with practical learning opportunities to understand financial concepts, apply them in everyday life and develop responsible and sustainable financial habits.
The programme will include structured workshops and practical activities delivered as part of extracurricular learning. Content will be tailored to different age groups and student needs.
In the first year, school workshops will target students in Grades 7 to 9. In the second year the programme will expand to cover Grades 4 to 9. University workshops will address budgeting, banking, saving, credit and financial planning. They will also cover entrepreneurship and introductory investment principles.
Separate sessions will be provided for parents and teachers. These sessions aim to raise financial awareness and support the integration of financial literacy into both family and educational environments.
The initiative will measure its impact through assessments conducted before and after workshops. These assessments will track changes in students’ financial understanding. The findings will be used to further develop the programme’s content and delivery methods.
The partnership reflects a coordinated effort to embed practical financial education within the formal and extracurricular learning experiences of students across the UAE. By combining Zoud’s focus on national financial wellbeing with HAL Education’s delivery capacity, the programme seeks to reach a wide range of learners at both school and university levels.
Workshops are designed to move beyond theoretical instruction. Students will engage in practical activities that allow them to apply concepts such as budgeting and saving to realistic scenarios. Age-appropriate content ensures that younger students in Grades 4 to 6 receive foundational knowledge while older students and university participants explore more advanced topics including credit, financial planning and basic investment principles.
The inclusion of sessions for parents and teachers is intended to create a supportive environment around the student. When families and educators share a common understanding of financial concepts, the skills introduced in workshops are more likely to be reinforced outside the classroom.
Impact measurement forms a core part of the programme design. Pre- and post-workshop assessments will provide data on knowledge gains and shifts in financial attitudes. This evidence-based approach allows organisers to refine materials, adjust delivery methods and ensure the content remains relevant and effective over the two-year period.
The scale of the initiative more than 500 institutions positions it as a significant national effort to strengthen financial capability among young people. By starting with Grades 7 to 9 and then expanding to younger age groups, the programme builds progressively while maintaining focus on practical, applicable skills.
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University-level workshops extend the learning continuum into higher education, addressing the more complex financial decisions students face as they approach independence. Topics such as banking products, credit management and introductory investment principles are intended to prepare participants for real-world financial responsibilities.
Overall, the partnership between Zoud and HAL Education seeks to treat financial literacy as a core life skill rather than an optional subject. Through structured workshops, tailored content, family engagement and systematic impact tracking, the programme aims to contribute to a generation of students better equipped to manage their financial resources responsibly.
