Sao Tome and Principe Ensino Secundário, 12º Ano - Economia (Economics)

The Economics course in Sao Tome and Principe's Ensino Secundário (secondary education) is a two-year course offered in either grades 10 and 11 or grades 11 and 12 as part of the Ciências Socioeconómicas track. It is designed as an introduction to economics, drawing heavily from the Portuguese secondary education curriculum. The course aims to provide students with fundamental economic concepts and analytical tools while contextualizing them within the Sao Tomean, African Union, and global economic realities.

Grade 10 or 11

• Unit 1: Economic Activity and Economic Science: This unit introduces economics as a social science, defines its scope, and explores the role of economic agents.
• Unit 2: Needs and Consumption: This unit examines the concepts of needs, consumption patterns, consumer behavior, and the social responsibility of consumers.
• Unit 3: Production of Goods and Services: This unit covers the production process, factors of production, productivity, costs of production, and economies of scale.
• Unit 4: Trade and Currency: This unit explores trade, the evolution and functions of money, inflation, and the CFA franc.
• Unit 5: Prices and Markets: This unit introduces market mechanisms, supply and demand, market equilibrium, and different market structures.
• Unit 6: Income and Income Distribution: This unit examines income generation, functional and personal income distribution, redistribution mechanisms, and income inequality.
• Unit 7: Savings and Investment: This unit explores the uses of income (consumption and savings), investment types, and financing economic activity.

Grade 11 or 12

• Unit 8: Economic Agents and the Economic Circuit: This unit builds upon the previous year's curriculum by examining the relationships between economic agents and the flow of goods and services within an economy. It also introduces concepts of National Accounting.
• Unit 9: National Accounting: This unit focuses on quantifying economic activity, calculating GDP, and understanding the limitations of national accounting.
• Unit 10: Economic Relations with the Rest of the World: This unit explores international trade, balance of payments, exchange rates, trade policies, and international economic organizations.
• Unit 11: The Role of the State in the Economy: This unit examines the functions of the state in the economy, including its role in ensuring efficiency, equity, and stability. It also covers public spending, revenue, and economic and social policies.
• Unit 12: Entrepreneurship and Innovation: This unit introduces the concepts of entrepreneurship and innovation, different types of entrepreneurship, and the development of business plans.