The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is working with the Nigerian Educational Research & Development Council (NERDC) to develop a capital market education curriculum for senior secondary schools in the country.

The acting Director-General of SEC, Mary Uduk, said this was part of initiatives by the commission to promote early education and enlightenment of investors in the Nigerian capital market to enhance their ability to make informed investment decisions.

Ms Uduk was speaking at the planning and writing workshop for the development of the Capital Market Studies Curriculum (CMSC) for Basic and Senior Secondary Schools levels in Lagos on Monday.

The commission, she said, has always been in the vanguard of promoting financial literacy considering its importance for students and the need for them to imbibe the culture of financial literacy on the operations of the capital market.

The partnership with NERDC, the DG said, was to actualise the capital market literacy initiative, as part of the commission’s effort to implement one of the cardinal programmes under the 10-year Nigerian Capital Market Master Plan.

She said the programme began with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between SEC and the NERDC in 2016, to develop a stand-alone capital market studies (CMS) curriculum for infusion into Basic and Senior Secondary Schools.

“I am happy to announce that, after a successful workshop for contents selection, the stage is now set for the planning and writing of the stand-alone curriculum.

“The commission recognises the efforts required for other stages of the programme and remains confident that with the active support and commitment of our stakeholders we will complete this project,” she noted.

Ms Uduk said the commission recognises efforts required for other stages of the programme, saying with the active support and commitment of all interest groups the project would be completed.

Executive Secretary of NERDC, Ismail Junaidu, noted the strategic importance of the capital market, particularly connecting the financial sector with the real sector of the economy.