By Vishal Gulati
Shimla, Sep 1 (IANS): School students of Himachal Pradesh will be given lessons on the stock market to enable them to get jobs in the financial sector.

"We are going to start financial literacy basic course in association with the National Stock Exchange (NSE) initially for Class 9 and Class 10 students of 100 schools in Shimla and Solan districts from next month," Principal Secretary Higher Education Ali Raza Rizvi told IANS.

He said the objective is to make the students aware about savings and important aspects of investment.

"Financial literacy would be started in 60 schools of Shimla and 40 schools of Solan. If it becomes successful, the course would be extended to the other schools in the state," he said.

Rizvi said currently teachers from these 100 schools are being trained by the NSE. On completion of the course, the NSE would give them certificates.

NSE vice president Ravi Varanasi, who was in Shimla last week, said the NSE has designed 40 study modules, which includes organisation of special seminars and interactive sessions of school children with experts.

Himachal Pradesh is the first state in northern India to start this course, he added.