Prerequisites for the project are a low level of financial literacy, digital competences and cybersecurity skills of the population of Ukraine.

Block 1. Financial literacy.

The main problem in Ukraine remains the low level of financial literacy and awareness of consumers of financial and investment services about their rights and their protection of investments from fraud.

Research on financial literacy, financial inclusion and financial well-being, supported by the USAID Financial Sector Transformation Project, is very valuable. They clearly outline vulnerable groups of consumers of financial services (by age: youth and the elderly; by income level: people with below average income; by education level: people with incomplete secondary and secondary education). Also within the framework of this project a number of educational and methodical material and textbooks for students of general secondary education were developed. Experts also developed educational content within the framework of adult education development in terms of improving financial literacy and financial inclusion.

At the same time, the issues of investing funds, in particular in virtual assets and protection of investors from fraud, were not covered. Investors often fall prey to fraudsters who, under the guise of investment projects, rob investors by offering a single payment option through e-wallets or crypto wallets, payments through which it is almost impossible to track and determine where the funds were transferred.

There is lack of knowledge about alternative finance, crypto industry and collaboration of crypto and financial merkets, which refers to transactions, operators and instruments that have emerged outside the traditional financial system. Alternative financial instruments include crypto assets and other instruments that are traded in crypto markets on the Internet. In the last years after the financial crisis of 2008, alternative finance has grown into a significant global industry, but most ordinary citizens have no knowledge of this area.

This suggests that the introduction of a course for middle school students in basic secondary education, aimed at studying investment, ways to assess investment risks, methods of protection against fraud, as well as basic knowledge of alternative finance and activity of crypto market will provide the necessary effect on improving financial literacy. That is, the use of acquired competencies and skills throughout life.

Block 2. Digital competencies.

The Ministry of Digital Transformation has developed a concept document “Description of the framework of digital competence for the citizens of Ukraine.” The European conceptual and reference model of digital competencies was taken as a basis and adapted to Ukrainian practice with the involvement of experts from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. As a result, the developed framework contains 4 dimensions, 6 areas, 30 competencies and 6 levels of digital competence. It is logical that the training course to be developed as part of the project should be based on the above conceptual document.

Accelerating the development of digital technologies has revealed the unpreparedness of citizens to live in digital reality. According to a 2019 study EU4Digital^[1]
53% of Ukrainian citizens had digital literacy below the basic level, problems arose even with office software (Word text editor, working with data in Excel, editing photos and videos, creating presentations, etc.). Also, less than 50% of Ukrainians have the skills to pay for utilities, top up mobile phones, transfer money from card to card online, watch videos, listen to music, buy goods online, take online courses and other skills that have become necessary in today’s world.

These facts clearly prove the need to introduce compulsory training in basic digital competencies in high school.

Block 3. Cybersecurity.

Legal and organizational bases of protection of vital interests of man and citizen, society and state, national interests of Ukraine in cyberspace, main goals, directions and principles of state policy in cybersecurity, powers of state bodies, enterprises, institutions, organizations, individuals and citizens in this spheres, the basic principles of coordination of their activities to ensure cybersecurity are defined in the Law of Ukraine “On the basic principles of cybersecurity of Ukraine”. Cybersecurity – protection of vital interests of man and citizen, society and state during the use of cyberspace, which ensures sustainable development of information society and digital communication environment, timely detection, prevention and neutralization of real and potential threats to Ukraine’s national security in cyberspace.

The importance of cybersecurity is also confirmed by the provisions of the Decree of the President of Ukraine 26.08.2021 № 447/2021 «On the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine of May 14, 2021 «On the Cyber Security Strategy of Ukraine»^[2], in particular, it is noted that the share of cyber threats is growing and this trend will increase with the development of information technology and their convergence with artificial intelligence technologies in the coming decade. Cyberspace, along with other physical spaces, is recognized as one of the possible theaters of war. This thesis has been proven today in the process of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, when Ukrainians with low levels of knowledge on cybersecurity led their actions, even to missile strikes on civilian infrastructure, buildings and more.

According to the same study EU4Digital^[3] 34% Ukrainians became victims of fraud over the Internet for a year. And only 11% of Ukrainians can recognize false information on the Internet.

Therefore, the introduction of cybersecurity issues in the curriculum for students is relevant and timely.