MALANG, JurnalPost.com — The State Polytechnic of Malang (Polinema) introduced financial literacy to students at Sekolah Rakyat Menengah Pertama (SRMP) 16 Malang through a market dayevent. This program is part of a Community Service (PPM) initiative involving lecturers and students from the Polinema Accounting Department.
The event, held on August 14, 2026, was attended by at least 89 students from SRMP 16 Malang. Through this activity, students not only received instruction on basic financial management but also had the opportunity to practice it directly through buying and selling activities.
SRMP 16 Malang is located on Jalan Raya Tlogowaru Number 3, Tlogowaru, Kedungkandang District, Malang. The school began operations in July 2025 and provides free education for students from low-income and extremely poor families.
In addition to academic activities, the school also provides boarding facilities for its students.
As a relatively new school, SRMP 16 Malang has a diverse student body. The students range in age from 13 to 17 years old, with varying educational backgrounds and levels of understanding.
This condition was a key consideration for the Polinema community service team when designing the teaching methods. The material was not just presented theoretically but was packaged in simple, interactive activities that were easy for all participants to grasp.
Learning to Manage Finances Through Real-World Experience
Before the event, the Polinema community service team conducted a preliminary survey to identify the needs and characteristics of the participants.
Based on these findings, the team chose a financial literacy and basic bookkeeping mentoring program through a market dayevent.
Financial management concepts were introduced using scenarios familiar to the students' daily lives. After receiving an explanation of the basics of money management, the participants immediately practiced them through a simulated trading activity.
The students learned to identify capital, set selling prices, record income and expenses, and calculate profits from the transactions they conducted.
In practice, the 89 students were divided into 15 groups. Each group received a set amount of funds to purchase products provided by the organizing team.
These products were then resold at prices determined by each group. During the activity, students were required to record all transactions—both money coming in and money going out—using prepared report sheets.
Through this method, students were able to understand that every financial transaction must be recorded so that one's financial status can be clearly tracked.
After the sales session concluded, each group calculated their total sales and the profit earned. The calculation process was carried out with the guidance of Polinema lecturers and students.
This activity also served as practice for students in performing simple transaction recording, managing capital, and understanding the relationship between selling price, expenses, and profit.
As a form of appreciation and to boost the participants' enthusiasm, the three groups that earned the highest profits were declared winners and received rewards from the organizing team.
The winners were determined based on the profit calculations of each group after all sales transactions were completed.
Instilling Financial Literacy from an Early Age
The implementation of the market day at SRMP 16 Malang demonstrates that financial literacy concepts can be introduced to students through simple activities that are relevant to their daily lives.
Concepts regarding capital, income, expenses, selling prices, and profit become much easier to understand when students can practice them directly.
Beyond teaching how to use money, this activity was also aimed at building an understanding that financial management requires planning and responsibility.
Students were encouraged to understand that every decision involving money has consequences that must be considered.
The program also provided experience in working with group members. While running the sales activity, students had to share tasks, determine strategies, make joint decisions, and complete transaction records.
Thus, the market day not only served as a medium for financial literacy learning but also helped train communication, teamwork, entrepreneurship, and decision-making skills.
The Polinema community service team hopes that similar activities can be developed sustainably at SRMP 16 Malang.
The market day method is considered a viable alternative for learning that combines financial literacy, entrepreneurship, teamwork, and character building through fun and easily applicable activities.
Through simple activities such as buying, selling, recording transactions, and calculating profits, students gained the experience that managing money requires precision, responsibility, and the courage to make decisions.
For the students, market day was ultimately more than just a buying and selling activity. It became a real-world learning space on how to manage money, work together, and build independence from their school years.
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