ING Bank Romania is offering prizes worth 12,500 euros to over 11,000 students from Bucharest and 20 other cities in the competition within the Financial Literacy Class (Ora de Banometrie) program, which is now in its second national edition.
The prizes are almost 50% higher than in the first national edition, in May, when 15 students from three high schools in Romania won a total of 8,500 euros in the business ideas competition within the Ora de Banometrie program, initiated by ING Bank Romania and organized with the support of the National Federation of Parents FNaP ProEdu.
“For ING, financial education is not just a topic of interest, but a responsibility that we take very seriously. We believe that forming healthy habits related to money management should start as early as possible, and high school is a key moment in the development of young people. In a dynamic economic context, in which financial choices shape our daily lives, it is essential that teenagers acquire the confidence and knowledge necessary to manage their resources responsibly. Through education, we offer them not only information, but also the power to make conscious decisions that support their future.”, says Mihaela Bîtu, CEO of ING Bank Romania.
The second national edition, which started on October 13, targets over 11,000 students from over 300 classes, from 26 high schools in Bucharest and 20 other cities across the country. For three weeks, dozens of ING Bank Romania employees will teach, as volunteers, financial education classes in high schools in Pitesti, Targoviste, Calarasi, Mangalia, Curtea de Argeș, Targu Jiu, Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Slatina, Caracal, Deva, Hunedoara, Alba Iulia, Oradea, Satu Mare, Baia Mare, Bistrița, Targu Mureș, Suceava, Botoșani, Piatra-Neamț and Bucharest.
“We are delighted that we are able, with the help of ING Bank Romania and the School Inspectorates and high school principals who have been involved in this large-scale project, to take the financial education of adolescents to a national level. This second national edition confirms the opportunity and necessity of such projects to create the right context for increasing the living standards of future generations of adults”, commented Eugen Ilea, president of the National Federation of Parents FNaP ProEdu.
The course includes one hour of teaching supported by a financial instructor (a volunteer specialist with experience and training as a trainer) from ING Bank Romania. Each participating student will receive a booklet with basic financial concepts, to help consolidate the knowledge acquired during the course.
The competition within the Financial Literacy Class program is a test of the financial knowledge of tenth grade students, on the one hand, and on the other, an exploration of the imagination and organizational and teamwork capacity of teenagers, in creating a business project.
“Financial education is not just a discipline of numbers, but also one of discernment. Training children in the spirit of financial responsibility means giving them the tools through which they can understand the economic world and their own choices. In a society where everything moves quickly, the ability to manage money correctly becomes essential and means the freedom to make responsible decisions. And this freedom is best learned at school. For ASF, the financial education of young people means strengthening the future stability of the market. A financially informed citizen is a more protected, responsible and involved citizen. Understanding the value of saving, insurance and investment not only forms correct behaviours, but also underpins trust in a financial system that works for the benefit of everyone”, declared Alexandru Petrescu, President of ASF.
