Interest in personal finance education is a global phenomenon. Zana Gojani teaches personal finance at Prishtina High School, an international school in Kosovo, and is so passionate that she is participating in the Psychology of Money certification course even though it runs from 1-3 a.m. in her time zone! Read on to learn more about Zana.

Why are you so passionate about teaching personal finance? 
Growing up, my mom and dad always taught my siblings and me about the importance of financial independence. They wanted to make sure that money would never be the reason we would stay in a place where we are not happy. I am sure that every parent preaches the same advice to kids, but mine are both accountants, so they did it more thoroughly. Through teaching my class on personal finance, I want to make sure that my students (who are juniors and seniors) know their options and can make the best financial decisions after they graduate.

Tell us a little about the school you teach at in Kosovo? Age of students? Size of the school? 
Prishtina High School is a private international school, part of the Oasis International Network of Schools, providing an American-style education for kindergarten to 12th-grade students. This is my third year as part of the PHS community. While about 80% of our student body is made up of Kosovar Albanian students, we have around 320 students and teachers from everywhere around the world.  Our school is like a world map puzzle where everyone can feel like they belong.

How is this course currently being taught in your high school? Does Kosovo have a national policy about financial education or is this something that you helped start at your school? 
Personal Finance in our school is currently being taught as an elective class. Even though I believe it should be a required class, the good side of this is knowing that all the students CHOSE to be there, which makes teaching much easier. Our country, Kosovo, was declared independent in 2008; 8 years after a war. Everything we have had to be re-established in these years, and there was a lot to do. Kosovo does not have a national policy about financial education yet, but given the rapid growth we are experiencing, and how much potential our youth (over 56% of our population is under 34yo) has, I am hopeful that personal finance will soon be part of our public schools' curricula too.

What finance topics are your students most interested in? 
According to my students' reviews, they have not only learned but also enjoyed this class. One of the things they enjoyed the most was at the end of the year on our Final Project when they had to implement everything we learned through our Investing, Credits, Budgeting, Management, Marketing, Taxes, and Market Research units, in making a thorough Business Plan, and getting our very supportive administration to 'invest' in their ideas. It was their time to shine, show what they learned, and get some feedback on how to make our young country's finances steadier in the future.

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