“When I saw my daughter studying for her traffic exam I realised that if learning this skill at an early age was so beneficial, why not also teach children about money?” And so the idea of a money exam was born in the mind of Deloitter Willemijn Zwiep.

Today it is more important than ever for people to learn how to manage their finances effectively. While it is mainly adults who are affected by financial pressures, children need to develop an understanding of the value of money early in life, to prevent mismanagement later on.

“There seemed to be a lot of news stories about young people spending beyond their means and in debt and it occurred to me that one of the few things we don’t incorporate in our school curriculum is how to manage money,” says Willemijn.

Having recognised the success of the traffic exam in raising children’s awareness when cycling on the road, Willemijn decided to create an educational initiative that focused on handling money. She developed the idea further with Deloitte and the Fair Chance Foundation, finally approaching the National Institute for Family Finance Information (Nibud) to gain a better insight into what children should know about money before entering secondary education. At the same time, a Deloitte partner put her in touch with educational publisher ThiemeMeulenhoff.

In January 2010 the Foundation launched a new study package called Money Exam, which has already been rolled out to 5,000 pupils from primary schools across the Netherlands, in partnership with Nibud and ThiemeMeulenhoff. The package comprises eight lessons, an exam and a diploma.

“The response I got was amazing – everyone was so enthusiastic and willing to share their knowledge,” says Willemijn. “Having a strong partnership with both Nibud and ThiemeMeulenhoff was crucial to bringing the Money Exam to the market, in terms of getting the content right and then translating it into accessible educational resources. The knowledge each organisation brought to the table was a perfect fit.”

The ambition is to roll out the Money Exam in 2011/2012 in 1,000 primary schools and 50,000 pupils. Volunteers of the Foundation will give guest lessons.

Her Royal Highness Princess Maxima of the Netherlands handed out the first money exams to graduates.