Empowering Children with Business Skills for Tomorrow
- Adi Suparman
Jakarta, VIVA – Teach business basics to children, especially in elementary school can be a fun and valuable way to build foundational life skills.
By introducing some business concepts, like saving, spending, and even the basics of entrepnreneurship, children can learn how money works and importance of making thoughtful financial decisions.
Empowering children with business skills conducted by a woman, Sri Irdayati, 25. She has become an inspiration to many, especially in the fields of education and entrepreneurship. Related to what she was doing, earned her the SATU Indonesia Awards from Astra.
A graduate of the Management Department, Faculty of Economics, at Diponegoro University in Semarang, Central Java, Irdayati has created an unconventional innovation: teaching business skills to children from an early age.
Inspired by the character Richie Rich, the wealthy child of a billionaire in American cartoons, she’s determined to nurture young entrepreneurs through her business classes.
For her, teaching business and management doesn’t need to wait until adulthood—it can start as early as elementary school.
Sri Irdayati penerima apresiasi SATU Indonesia Awards 2010.
- Satu indonesia
Irdayati's fascination with Richie Rich began in her own childhood. The character, who uses his wealth and resources wisely, inspired Irda to understand the importance of managing resources from a young age.
“Business and management need to be taught, even to elementary school students,” she said with enthusiasm.
She believes that children have a tremendous capacity to develop entrepreneurial skills they can use in the future.
Irdayati has since brought her vision to Jakarta. Together with her husband, Dedi Purwanto, an English course instructor, she has opened a business class in their rented home in Kelapa Gading Barat, North Jakarta.
Her classes are entirely free and cater to children aged 6 to 12. "My classes are free," she said.
She believes that entrepreneurship education should be accessible to everyone, especially children from low-income families.
In these classes, seven children are trained to set up a small business making bead accessories.
Besides learning hands-on skills like stringing beads into bracelets and necklaces, the children are also taught to create financial statements to calculate capital, profit, and loss.
Moreover, Irdayati emphasizes the importance of planning and business strategy. She teaches the children how to shop for materials effectively, set sale prices, and calculate profit margins.
Every participant, including Irda herself, is given the title of “leader,” as if preparing them to be future successes.
Irdayati’s teaching methods are highly interactive and fun. The children learn through play, making the experience more engaging and meaningful.
She doesn’t just teach economic theory; she involves the children directly in practice. From planning a business idea, creating a product, to preparing financial reports, the children learn the value of discipline and hard work in entrepreneurship.
Irdayati believes this hands-on experience will give her young students a broad perspective on the world of business.
