A German minister has told a news magazine that youngsters should learn in school more about how to manage their finances to avoid running up debt.

In a country that strongly advocated stepping up national budgetary discipline to fight the eurozone debt crisis, Germany's Consumer Affairs Minister Ilse Aigner told Focus news weekly that the lesson should begin in the classroom.

"In the schools practical finance matters must play a bigger role," she told the magazine, due to hit news stands Monday. "Children must learn not to live beyond their means."

And she expressed annoyance that some banks charge customers fees for the paying-in of "the content of their piggy banks", or coins.

"How are we to convey to children how important saving is?" she asked.