FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C)
November 01, 2007
Citi Singapore & National Institute of Education Launch First-of-its-Kind Financial Literacy Training Hub for Teachers
Singapore – The National Institute of Education (NIE) today announced the launch of the Citi-NIE Financial Literacy Hub for Teachers.
This first-of-its-kind financial education program will equip teachers with skills to teach financial literacy to a wide range of students. Over the next 18 months, up to 500 teachers will be trained.
The Citi Foundation has pledged a commitment of S$795,000 over two years, to support research and training for teachers. This new partnership will build a framework that provides a comprehensive and structured nationwide teacher development program. With the right skills set, teachers will be empowered to take financial education to a new level in the near future.
Prof. Lee Sing Kong, Director of NIE said, "The goal is to train our teachers to teach financial literacy in a fun and meaningful way in both the classroom and during enrichment activities."
He added, "At NIE, we are committed to enabling and empowering our teachers to teach our students how to make informed financial decisions. This is a life-skill that will have long-term impact on their lives."
Mr. Piyush Gupta, Head of ASEAN, Markets and Banking and Citi Country Officer, Singapore said, "At Citi, we believe that knowledge is your greatest asset, and our commitment to financial education is one of Citi's highest priorities. In Singapore, Citi takes the lead in promoting financial education early in childhood, in line with Citi's corporate citizenship philosophy to educate the next generation."
He added, "Our partnership with NIE provides Citi with another opportunity to play a role in supporting teachers in their efforts to give children a strong financial foundation. We believe that it is important to give children a head-start in the disciplines of financial budgeting, planning and investing, to help them better understand how to use financial resources available to meet their goals in life."
The Citi-NIE Financial Literacy Hub aims to provide a range of lesson and curriculum options for teachers including: online games, case studies, student camps and much more.
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The National Institute of Education (NIE)
The National Institute of Education (NIE) is an institute of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. NIE provides all levels of teacher education, ranging from initial teacher education programs to further teacher preparation for serving teachers, departmental heads, vice-principals and principals. It also offers postgraduate programs which lead to the award of higher degrees in Arts, Education, Physical Education and Science. Other specialized programs which train pre-school and kindergarten teachers, teachers of special schools and staff of institutes of higher learning are also conducted by NIE. As the national teacher education institute in Singapore, NIE is critical in transforming the teacher preparation system to meet changing needs of the education system. It also plays an important role in providing educational research and consultancy services to the Ministry of Education and schools. In line with the mission of the Ministry, which is to mould the future of our nation, NIE's vision is to be "An Institute of Distinction".
Citi
Citi, the leading global financial services company, has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Citi's major brands include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney and Banamex. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com.
Citi Foundation
The Citi Foundation supports organizations that help people improve their lives, businesses to grow, and communities to prosper around the world. The Citi Foundation focuses its grants primarily in three areas: financial education, educating the next generation, and building communities and entrepreneurs. Additional information can be found at http://www.citigroupfoundation.com/.