December Activity – Piggy Bank to Formal Bank – Teacher’s Section

Introduction

Savings play a significant role in an individual’s financial well being. It helps us secure our future against unforeseen financial stress. It helps us lead a dignified and secure life. The importance of savings cannot be emphasised more, particularly after the havoc caused due to the Covid-19 pandemic. On the other hand, investments help us grow our wealth. Investments are of several types, based on the risks and expected returns associated with them. Making rational choices for proper investment needs an in-depth study. One should also consult an investment specialist, if required.

As a well-informed citizen of the country, we should know what are the different tools and techniques of savings and investment. It not only helps us get better returns but also helps the country with the finances required for infrastructure development.

Keywords: Survey, Research, Savings Account (Opening/Maintaining)

Expected Outcomes

By the end of this activity, students will-

Be able to conduct an interesting Survey related to savings and investment.
Be able to understand the different techniques of savings and investment that their family members use.
Research on different tools of savings and investment.
Have a maintained/functioning account in banks/post offices.

Executive Summary of the Activity

The activity is divided into the following 2 parts:

Activity Heads	Mode	Steps to be Followed	Time Required	Role
Section 1 - Explanation Session	Online class	Start the session with an introduction to the theme 'Savings and Investment'. Play two short videos in the online classroom. Share the link for the reading material with the class. Debrief the session by asking students if they have any doubts. Explain the offline activity- Survey, Research and Savings Account	30 minutes	Teacher
Section 2 – Survey, Research and Savings Account	Offline (Home assignment)	Read the material provided by the teacher. Watch the videos from the Video Bank to understand the theme. Conduct a survey of two earning family members. Research on different savings and investment tools and techniques. Open/Maintain a Savings Account.	2 hours	Students

Section 1 - Explanation Session (Step 1 to Step 5)

Steps for the Teacher/Facilitator:

Step 1 - Introduction

Kindly start the session by introducing the theme of the month. You can refer to the content given in the introduction paragraph and in the 'Information Handout'.

Step 2 – Play videos in the online classroom

Play two short videos (a total of 7 minutes) in the class. The teacher can encourage the Club members to co-facilitate the session and share the videos given below.

Links for Videos:

Step 3 – Debriefing the videos and the concept of Savings and Investment

Teachers can make the debriefing engaging by asking some questions about savings and investment. Also, teachers can ask the students if they have any doubts. Teachers can ask a few students to summarise what was taught in these videos.

Step 4 – Explaining the offline task to the students

There are three steps for the students in this monthly activity: Survey, Research and Opening /Maintaining a Savings Account. Students should follow the steps given below.

Survey: Students need to conduct surveys of any two earning members of the family/extended family. They can use the questions provided below. Students can ask more questions as well.

What percentage of your income do you invest/save monthly?
Have you reduced your expenditure to increase your savings or increased your income to increase your savings?
What is the purpose of investment? For tax-saving, or to secure the future, or for money growth?
Where do you usually invest? Any major heads?
What is your frequency of investment?

Research: Based on the responses students get during the survey, they can pick any 2 tools and techniques, like Fixed Deposits, Mutual Funds, Public Provident Fund (PPF), Share Market, Systematic Investment Plan (SIP), Small Savings, etc. for the research. The research should be done under the following three headings-

Features
Advantages
Disadvantages

Optional Step -> Opening/Maintaining a Savings Account: Opening a savings account is the first step in the right direction. If they already have a savings account, they can maintain it by depositing/withdrawing money from the account. Considering protocols in their local areas, this can be done offline by visiting the nearest bank/post office branch or can be done online.

Open a Savings Account in the nearest bank/post office. They can also open a zero balance account under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). Details of PMJDY have been given in the Information Handout.
If they already have an account, deposit/withdraw money from that account.
Write down the details of the account: Type (Savings/Sukanya Samriddhi/Minor etc.), Frequency of deposit (present/expected in future), etc.

At the end, students are expected to submit a report in the form of a Word document containing the Survey, research work and details of their account.

Step 5 – Appeal for Reflection Sheets

Ask the students if they have any doubts about the activity and share the Information Handout with them. Ask them to fill the Individual Reflection Sheet after completing the task and also upload the report.