Financial Literacy Awards Presented

Anikó Túri, State Secretary for Administration at the NGM, highlighted that promoting financial awareness is in the interest of both the individual and society, as the financial awareness of families also promotes the strengthening of the economy.

She added that teachers and students could submit their entries for the current award until June 30, which were processed jointly with the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Culture and Innovation.

Anikó Túri drew attention to the work done by the awarded teachers, who try to pass on financial knowledge to children in an experience-rich way. He said that one of the teachers who received the award designed an online financial escape room for the children, while another teacher organized walks for the children in the market to teach them about value for money.

The State Secretary congratulated all the award winners and thanked the teachers and students for the energy and work they invested in the field of financial awareness in their everyday lives. Imre Sipos, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, also called the development of financial awareness among young people a common goal and highlighted the work of the Ministry of Finance, the Pénziránytű Foundation, and the Hungarian Banking Association in this area.

He pointed out that financial awareness has appeared in public education since the 2010s. He quoted the relevant part from the National Core Curriculum, which states that “the rising generation must have usable knowledge about the economic and financial institutions and processes that determine the lives of the world economy, the national economy, businesses and households. The goal is for students to recognize their own responsibility in the areas of value-creating work, rational management of goods, the world of money and consumption. They are able to consider the direct and indirect consequences and risks of their decisions.”

Gergely Pálmai, Deputy State Secretary responsible for vocational training at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation (KIM), said that financial and entrepreneurial knowledge has been introduced in vocational training for quite a few years. Students in dual training receive a salary of between 100 and 160 thousand forints, and this amount must be handled with increased responsibility – he added. In addition to all this, the entrepreneurial knowledge roadshow was launched in September this year, with which they will visit every county.

They emphasized that strengthening the financial awareness of Hungarian youth is in the interest of society as a whole, as in a financially aware society the risk of excessive indebtedness is lower, the willingness to save increases and the economic system is more stable.

The students, teachers and institutions nominated for the award must demonstrate exemplary activities, methods and results that can be used by others and go beyond school education year after year in order to win the award.

This year, the award for the Development of Financial Awareness in the institution category went to Bocskai István High School in Hajdúböszörmény.

In the teacher category, the award was given to Szilvia Mustos, a teacher at the Szolnok SzC Commercial and Catering Technical School and Vocational Training School, Boglárka Rádi-Vastag, a teacher at the Kisvárda SzC Fehérgyarmat Móricz Zsigmond Vocational School, as well as Tünde Nagyné Petrovics, a teacher at the ELTE Bárczi Gusztáv Practical Primary School, Kornélia Enikő Várhomokiné Madák, a teacher at the Georgikon Greek Catholic Agricultural and Food Industry Technical School, Vocational Training School and Dormitory, and László Szabó, a teacher at the Budapest Technical SzC Verebély László Technical School.

In the student category, the awards were given to Dóra Csenge Becsky, a student at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Debrecen, Anna Zsófia Kiss, a student at the Zrínyi Miklós Gymnasium in Zalaegerszeg, and Zsombor Tibor Kiss-Túri, a student at the SzC Kőrösy József Economic Technical School in Szeged.

The awards were presented by Anikó Túri, State Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Culture.