Bankee’s role in Kuwaiti pupils’ financial literacy and school behaviour

About the study

The Bankee Programme, funded by the National Bank of Kuwait, was developed and delivered in Kuwait to support financial literacy among primary school pupils. The programme aims to equip pupils with knowledge, skills, and behaviours related to money management, decision-making, and financial responsibility, supporting their preparation for future responsible personal financial management. 

This report presents findings from the 2023-24 independent evaluation of Bankee and examines its implications for future delivery and scale-up. The evaluation assessed how the programme was implemented in practice, the extent to which it achieved its intended outcomes, and the factors influencing its effectiveness and sustainability within the school context.

A mixed-methods design was adopted, combining a quantitative pre-post outcomes evaluation with a qualitative implementation and process evaluation. The quantitative component investigated changes in pupils’ financial literacy and related behaviours before and after programme participation. The qualitative component examined programme delivery, experiences, and perceived impacts, drawing on insights from a wide range of stakeholders, including pupils, teachers, school principals, parents, and counsellors. Together, these strands provided a comprehensive understanding of both outcomes and implementation processes.

As part of the evaluation, a Theory of Change was developed to articulate how programme activities are expected to lead to short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes, and to clarify the assumptions underpinning the intervention.

NatCen International and NatCen's Centre for Evaluation were commissioned by Creative Confidence Consulting Company (CCCC) to conduct this evaluation, funded by the National Bank of Kuwait. The findings are intended to inform programme refinement, strengthen evidence of impact, and support decision-making about the future development and sustainability of the Bankee programme.

Findings

The evaluation found that the Bankee Programme had a positive overall impact on pupils’ financial literacy. Quantitative findings from the pre-post outcomes evaluation showed a statistically significant increase of nine percentage points in overall financial literacy scores following programme implementation, with particularly strong improvements in areas such as budgeting and saving. Positive changes were also observed in self-reported financial behaviours, including a marked increase in the proportion of pupils who viewed expense tracking as important. Measures of behaviour and wellbeing, as assessed through the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), showed modest positive trends in classroom conduct and emotional wellbeing, although these changes were not statistically significant.

At the same time, the quantitative analysis highlighted areas where progress was limited. Certain financial concepts, including salary and borrowing, remained poorly understood by many pupils, with little improvement observed between baseline and endline. Similarly, some financial behaviours, such as prioritising quality over quantity, showed minimal change. These findings suggest that while the programme was effective overall, its impact was not uniform across all concepts and pupils, pointing to the need for more targeted support.

Qualitative findings reinforced and contextualised these results. Teachers reported noticeable improvements in pupils’ financial understanding and some positive behavioural changes, but also raised concerns about variability in delivery and the need for more comprehensive training and resources. Parents valued the focus on financial literacy but often felt ill-equipped to reinforce learning at home, indicating a gap in communication and engagement. Pupils were generally enthusiastic about the programme, although delays and unclear expectations reduced engagement in some cases. Overall, the findings highlight both the programme’s potential and the importance of strengthening implementation, consistency, and stakeholder support to maximise impact.

Methodology

This evaluation used a mixed-methods design to assess the implementation, effectiveness, and outcomes of the Bankee Programme during the 2023-24 academic year. The methodology combined a quantitative Pre-Post Outcomes Evaluation (PPE) with a qualitative Implementation and Process Evaluation (IPE), underpinned by a collaboratively developed Theory of Change (ToC).

The ToC was developed through three online workshops involving key stakeholders, including CCCC Nazaha, and participating school staff, and informed the evaluation framework, research questions, and data collection tools. A desk review of programme documentation and relevant international literature complemented this process.

The qualitative IPE explored how the programme was delivered in practice and how it was experienced by stakeholders. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions conducted in Arabic with school principals, teachers, Bankee teachers, counsellors, pupils, and parents. Interviews and discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed using NatCen’s Framework approach, enabling systematic comparison across stakeholder groups and themes.
The quantitative PPE assessed changes in pupils’ financial literacy, financial behaviour, and behaviour and wellbeing. Pupil surveys were administered at baseline (October 2023) and endline (April-May 2024) and included Financial Literacy Questions (FLQs), Financial Behaviour Questions (FBQs), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), adapted for the Kuwaiti and Arabic-speaking context. Due to challenges in matching pupils across waves, analysis was conducted primarily at the school level, with pupil-level analysis used as a robustness check. Paired t-tests were applied to assess pre-post changes, with findings interpreted cautiously in the absence of a control group.