Abstract:
The place of economics education in the curriculum has ebbed and flowed over the years. However, the inclusion of economics as a discipline in the new Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELs) recognizes the value of economic, consumer and financial literacies in helping students understand contemporary society and make more informed decisions that will shape their futures and the futures of the world they live in. What knowledge and skills are being addressed in the economics discipline and how is this considered 'essential'? What is the scope of economics education in contributing to what students need to know and do now and for their future? How can economics education contribute to important social education curriculum goals such as civics and citizenship education, enterprise education, values education, global education and environmental education? This paper considers the role and importance of economics education as an essential dimension in the construction of social education curriculum for the twenty-first century and explores answers to the questions posed above.