Students initiated on going cashless

During a workshop on December 3, about 50 girls were engrossed in getting acquainted with the banking system and the nitty gritty of it all – from learning how to fill up cheque books to withdrawing money from the ATM or even making an online payment! Most of these higher secondary students from Mary Clubwala Jadhav Girls Higher School in Egmore had no access to bank accounts, as they hail from impoverished backgrounds. Thanks to this workshop, they are now eager to open their accounts. “Out of the entire class, only five students had bank accounts. During the next session, we will be opening bank accounts for everybody – so they can learn the basics of banking,” said Raena Reddy, a volunteer who conducts these sessions in the school run by the Guild Of Service. During the course of the workshop, Raena discovered that many had no idea what a cashless economy meant. “Most of the kids thought that cashless meant ‘demonetisation’, and not an alternate route to transactions without notes. The common concern among these students was a hesitation to use the ATM machine, as they fear that it would “eat up” their cards. It was important to dispel the myths and teach them how to withdraw money from an ATM. In addition, the session also focussed on making simple online payments for utility services. Our next step is to teach them the nuances of internet banking. These are essential skills.” Himani Datar, Trustee of the school, said they are planning to conduct these sessions in all the other affiliated schools. “Sessions like these are important to inculcate financial responsibility. In fact, we want to extend these sessions to other schools we run in Pulianthope and Saligrammam,” she concluded.