In an attack on contemporary values, Nick Gibb argued that a “got to have it now” culture was breeding unrealistic expectations of wealth in young people. The schools minister said millions of children were being raised with the wrong priorities and equated wealth with success. He was speaking in a Commons debate about whether children should get a better financial education. “Young people are growing up in a materialistic world for which they are often not fully prepared,” Mr Gibb said. “The ‘got to have it now’ culture means young people have high aspirations for branded or designer goods, often without the means to pay for them. People have unrealistic expectations about the lifestyle they can afford, fuelled by the glittering trappings of celebrities.” Mr Gibb also told the Commons that he would like to see schools put a greater emphasis on maths teaching. “We all have a job to do in moving young people’s aspirations away from this empty and often destructive perception of what success means,” he added. “Developing children’s intellectual capabilities and interests is a direct antidote to materialism. “Alongside that, young people must acquire a sense of responsibility. They need to contribute to society as responsible citizens and not take wild risks. They need to learn to live within their means.” The Commons debate was tabled after more than 100,000 members of the public signed an online petition calling for schools to give lessons in personal finance. The campaign was backed by Martin Lewis, who runs the website MoneySavingExpert.com. It was brought to Parliament by Justin Tomlinson, a Tory MP, who argued that people were making poor financial decisions “not necessarily through their own fault but because they didn’t have the skills”. He said some people might have avoided crippling debt if they had been taught about interest rates at school. Mr Gibb stopped short of backing compulsory financial education for all but pointed out that the Government was reviewing the National Curriculum. The education minister’s attack on the “got to have it now culture” was made just weeks after Lord Sacks, the Chief Rabbi, criticised the selfishness of the consumer society. He said the iPad and iPhone products sold by Apple helped contribute to a culture of egotism, because of their emphasis on personal ownership. “The values of a consumer society really aren’t ones you can live by for terribly long,” the Chief Rabbi said. “The consumer society was laid down by the late Steve Jobs [the founder of Apple] coming down the mountain with two tablets, iPad one and iPad two, and the result is that we now have a culture of iPod, iPhone, iTune, I, I, I.”
