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From Bristol to Dharashiv: Why 150 schools in this drought-hit district of Maharashtra is adopting international money lessons

Maharashtra’s Dharashiv district will roll out a financial literacy module of international standards for Class 8 students and other higher classes from May. As part of a research impact project on financial education led by Dr Nikhil Sapre, programme director for MSc Financial Technology at the University of Bristol Business School, UK, the learning materials […]

4 min readPuneUpdated: Feb 14, 2026 04:03 PM IST

A team led by Dr Nikhil Sapre interacting with the villagers of Dharashiv district regarding the project to roll out a financial literacy module of international standards for Class 8 students and other higher classes from May.

Maharashtra’s Dharashiv district will roll out a financial literacy module of international standards for Class 8 students and other higher classes from May.

As part of a research impact project on financial education led by Dr Nikhil Sapre, programme director for MSc Financial Technology at the University of Bristol Business School, UK, the learning materials for the financial literacy module will be carefully developed, designed, and structured to suit the rural and semi-rural school contexts within the state.

Kirti Pujari, Dharashiv District Collector, and Dr Mainak Ghosh, CEO of Dharashiv Zilla Parishad, gave the approval to introduce an international-standard curriculum in rural schools as a pilot project.

Dr Ghosh, CEO, Dharashiv Zilla Parishad, told The Indian Express that the module will comprise 16 hours of classroom teaching for Class 8 students and even higher classes.

“The curriculum will be age-appropriate and activity-based, covering core concepts in financial education,” Dr Ghosh said. It will be rolled out as a pilot project across more than 150 schools in Dharashiv district. According to Dr Ghosh, the aim was to make it a model for others to emulate.

Dr Sapre, who has been interested in understanding the importance of giving financial literacy to Indian school children, said that he had conducted several surveys in Pune and Karad in Satara.

“Research has shown that financial literacy is crucial for financial wellbeing and supporting economic empowerment,” Dr Sapre said.

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The surveys and associated activities for students are aimed at evaluating parental role in shaping the children’s financial awareness and behaviour.

While in Pune, Professor Sapre also met Kuldeep Ambekar, who hails from Dharashiv and is the founder and coordinator of Pune-based Student Helping Hands. He had left his drought-stricken village in Dharashiv to pursue higher studies in Pune, carrying with him the struggles of his community.

Kuldeep urged Prof Sapre to consider Dharashiv district, where failed monsoons and farmer suicides have occurred.

Together with Manisha Waghmare of Dharashiv-based Hope Welfare Foundation, the team soon actively engaged with authorities at the district collectorate and zilla parishad to facilitate a `financial literacy module’ designed as part of the University of Bristol’s research impact for rural school children in Dharashiv.

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“This initiative is important in Dharashiv as the region is drought-affected and many farming families face serious financial difficulties. Crop failures and unstable incomes lead to distress among farmers, and there have been cases of suicide. Hence, introducing financial literacy in schools can help students understand better ways of managing money, exploring alternative career options, and building stable livelihoods,” Kuldeep said.

Dr Sapre also explained that the objective is to strengthen foundational financial capability among adolescents at a critical stage of schooling, before they make key education and career decisions. This financial literacy module will be introduced to potentially over 3,800 Class 8 students registered in Dharashiv ZP schools.

“The module will be designed to equip students with a practical understanding of money management, savings, responsible financial behaviour, and safe engagement with formal and digital financial systems.

The learning materials for the module will be co-written by Dr Ved Beloskar, who is an assistant professor in accounting and finance at the School of Management, IIT Bombay,” Dr Sapre said.

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(From Left) Mainak Gosh, Dharashiv Zilla Parishad CEO, Kirti Pujari, Dharashiv District Collector, Prof Nikhil Sapre, Manisha Waghmare, and Kuldeep Ambekar

As part of the project, both Dr Sapre and Dr Beloskar will co-design and deliver teacher training workshops to ensure consistency in delivery and ownership.

The workshops are aimed at addressing the issue noted in the National Education Policy (NEP) that new curricular areas fail without teacher capacity due to limited subject confidence, lack of prior training, among other reasons, and absence of contextualised teaching materials.

The initiative is aligned with broader educational and policy priorities around life skills, digital literacy, and youth preparedness for economic participation. In particular, the proposed module aligns closely with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasizes holistic development, experiential learning, and the integration of essential life skills within school education,” Dr Sapre added.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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