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Daily Express
03-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Express
UM lecturers use picture books to teach children about money
Published on: Tuesday, June 03, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jun 03, 2025 By: Dinesh Kumar Maganathan, FMT Lifestyles Text Size: Lecturers Shalini Nadaswaran (left) and Vandana Saxena teach kids financial literacy through picture books. (Dinesh Kumar Maganathan @ FMT Lifestyle) PETALING JAYA: An eight-year-old boy from an orphanage sat quietly after a picture-book reading, then raised his hand. 'One day,' he said, 'I want to work, make money, and build a house. Not just for me but for my parents, my siblings, and my uncle, so we can all live together.' He wasn't just echoing the lesson of the book, in which children give their savings to their parents; he was going further. The boy envisioned financial independence not as a personal goal, but as a way of uplifting his entire family. This powerful moment unfolded during a financial literacy workshop by Universiti Malaya (UM) lecturers Shalini Nadaswaran and Vandana Saxena, who use picture books to teach seven- to nine-year-olds about saving, spending and planning. 'It's personal for both of us,' said Shalini. 'We're mothers, and we see how children today are surrounded by advertising. They know how to spend but don't necessarily understand the value of money.' Shalini, whose academic work centres on African women's literature, and Vandana, who specialises in children's and young-adult fiction, saw how picture books could bridge economic theory and lived experience. 'When we read picture books through the lens of literary criticism, especially around economics, we started seeing connections,' Vandana, an Indian national, explained. 'We wanted to bring this into real communities – especially with children from vulnerable backgrounds.' Their 1.5-hour workshop began with a simple question: what would you do with RM100? 'Some wanted cars, jewellery, designer clothes. Others said ice cream. And some, especially from more vulnerable backgrounds, had no idea how money is earned,' Shalini recalled. Then came the read-aloud session – 'The Berenstain Bears' Let's Talk About Money'. The story follows two bear siblings who spend recklessly, and learn to earn and save. But it's what happened after the story that really matters. The same RM100 question was posed again – and this time, there was a shift. 'One girl who initially wanted to buy jewellery suddenly said she would make her own and sell it,' Shalini shared. 'Another boy said he'd now save his money in a bank – because otherwise, he might lose it.' The children begin to grasp not just the idea of money, but the principles of earning and saving. 'You could see the wheels turning in their minds. They were beginning to think about money in ways they hadn't before.' So far, Shalini and Vandana have conducted just two workshops – one at a school and another at an orphanage – since they started early this year. A recurring challenge, they pointed out, is the lack of locally relevant picture books. 'There are certain things that are very Asian, like charity and giving to the poor,' Vandana explained. 'We do not see these in the books we use, even though these are different kinds of value systems we need to pay attention to.' So, they're laying the groundwork to write and curate their own content – 'something more localised for children so that, when they read the books, the setting is familiar and the understanding becomes easier'. But why teach children about money at all? 'It's an everyday reality,' Vandana noted. 'We need to mould them to have an understanding of money. Our children can't be stooges of capitalism.' This is where storytelling becomes key: it's not just about understanding money – it's about the experience of listening, and of imagining different choices. 'The children were spellbound when we read out loud,' Shalini said. 'You get kids with different levels of understanding. So, you must meet everyone's needs.' They hope to scale the project to more schools, orphanages, NGOs, and Orang Asli communities. Acknowledging their limits, Shalini and Vandana are creating free digital resources – lesson plans, story-based activities, and teacher guides – so others can run the programme even without them. Both lecturers ultimately believe financial literacy starts at home. 'Be open. Talk about spending, saving, earning. Children understand more than we give them credit for,' said Shalini. But this openness doesn't mean saying 'yes' to everything. 'Even simple lines like 'that's expensive, let's revisit this later' can build habits. It moves children away from instant gratification.'
Daily Express
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Express
Get a real kick out of the all-new Nissan KICKS e-POWER
Published on: Saturday, May 10, 2025 Published on: Sat, May 10, 2025 By: Terence Toh, FMT Lifestyles Text Size: Christiansen Ng and Irene Cho have fallen in love with their Nissan KICKS e-POWER electrified vehicles. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle) PETALING JAYA: Like many Malaysian drivers, finance analyst Irene Cho had never been behind the wheel of an electrified vehicle before. When she heard, however, that the all-new Nissan KICKS e-POWER electrified compact SUV had hit the local market in December, she decided to check it out. Stopping by an Edaran Tan Chong Motors outlet, Cho gave the vehicle a test drive – and fell in love with it immediately. 'It felt very powerful, and the price was reasonable, so I decided to take it. I'm involved with an NGO, and just a few days after getting the car, I had to go from Kuala Lumpur to Perlis for a project. I had a very, very good drive!' Cho told FMT Lifestyle. Equipped with Nissan's second-generation e-POWER system, this new SUV offers a thrilling and efficient drive, perfect for those trying out electric mobility for the first time. The revolutionary new vehicle combines style and sustainability, offering drivers remarkable 21.7km/l fuel efficiency at estimated distances of 900km per full tank. The vehicle is fully electric-motor-driven, with a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder engine that acts as a generator for its lithium-ion battery. This means the Nissan KICKS e-POWER never needs to be charged externally. Its innovative e-Pedal Step also allows drivers to accelerate and decelerate with a single pedal, with a unique regenerative braking system employed to help charge its battery. All this equates to a smoother driving experience – something Christiansen Ng has definitely been enjoying. The KL-based banker revealed that the Nissan KICKS e-POWER's pleasant handling once helped him stay cool-headed through a five-hour traffic jam during the festive season. 'It goes very smoothly around corners. With previous cars, my mother used to get motion sickness. But with this car, she doesn't,' Ng shared. Both Cho and Ng expressed admiration over how silent the Nissan KICKS e-POWER is. Even at highway speeds, the vehicle seems engineered for serenity, gliding like a cloud over most types of terrain. This is thanks to an extensive use of insulative materials in its engine system. They also liked having the option to switch between multiple driving modes – ECO, SPORT, STANDARD, and EV – each subtly shifting how the car behaves. It's not just about performance, but about giving the driver a bit more say in how the journey unfolds. Road safety is also a top priority for car buyers today, and this demand is clearly reflected in the design of the Nissan KICKS e-POWER. The stylish vehicle comes with a plethora of advanced safety features aimed to provide users with peace of mind. The Nissan KICKS e-POWER boasts a five-star Asean NCAP rating, the highest level of safety evaluation. This is thanks to features such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, Intelligent Driver Awareness, Blind Spot Warning, and Intelligent Forward Collision Warning. 'I like Nissan's 360˚Safety Technology,' Ng said. 'There were times when there were cars that braked unexpectedly in front of me, and it was lucky I had the Autonomous Braking System. It started beeping to warn me. I'm very happy because it helped prevent what could have been an accident.' As for Cho, her favourite feature is the Intelligent Rear View Mirror. This mounted 2MP camera with a high-resolution display offers drivers wide, reflection-free views of what's behind the vehicle through clear, flicker-free images. 'I find this very useful when going down Malaysian highways; it helps me prepare for the unpredictable. With this mirror, I can see what's behind me very clearly. It helps me feel safer,' Cho said. Other highlights include its 7-inch (17.8cm) full-colour driver instrument display, a D-shaped flat-bottom steering wheel with multifunction controls, and an infotainment system with an 8-inch (20.3cm) touchscreen offering Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. The Nissan KICKS e-POWER comes in two variants: VL and VLT. Colour options are Brilliant White Pearl, Sunrise Orange, Red Pearl, Brilliant Silver and Black Star. For those looking to make a bolder statement, the VLT variant adds a touch of flair with two-tone options featuring a Super Black roof, along with an exclusive Dark Metal Grey body colour. Prices begin at RM113,800, making this a compelling entry point into the world of electrified driving with a sporty edge.
