The Program continues with a $85,000 grant from the Citi Foundation
December 13, 2012
Another 8,000 pupils will now have access to innovative technology-based teaching materials in the 26 elementary schools across Hungary that participate in this year’s Citibank Financial Education School Program, the joint financial capability building program of Citibank Hungary and Junior Achievement Hungary (JAH) launched in 2001. Together with this year’s grant of $85,000, the Citi Foundation has donated a total of 1.3 million dollars to Junior Achievement Hungary and altogether 146,000 students in 362 schools in Hungary can now learn from the modern personal finance training materials donated through this program.
The aim of the program is to inspire and prepare young students aged 10-14 to manage, save and spend their money wisely through providing them the opportunity to understand the basics of finance and economics, as well as gain basic money management skills. Participating schools receive modern, technology-based curriculum resources and innovative teaching strategies, which will help them increase students’ literacy and performance.
Batara Sianturi, Citi Country Officer for Citibank Hungary said, “Key concepts of our program include family budget, income and expenses, credit and risks, saving and investing, supply and demand, market and competition. All materials developed in partnership with Junior Achievement have been adapted to suit pupils’ age answering to their specific concerns and are providing basic knowledge through an interesting and interactive set of games. We are confident that those students whose financial awareness we can raise while they are very young will be able to handle their finances in a more responsible and efficient way when they become adults.”
The program package includes finance and economics DVD teaching materials that have been prepared by Junior Achievement Hungary based on their print teaching materials developed in the US. These materials have been adapted to reflect Hungary’s market environment and to meet the interests of Hungarian pupils. A modern laptop and a projector are also part of the package to provide the hardware for running the DVDs. In addition, continuous mentoring and coaching support from JAH and a financial capability competition for the students also contribute to the program success.
Orsolya Gergely, Managing Director of Junior Achievement Hungary, said, “It is great to have the opportunity to continue this successful program with support from Citibank. I am sure students do not realize that what they have just received was far more than a one-off gift, but rather an opportunity to acquire skills and competencies like money management, decision making, problem solving, teamwork, or negotiating that will all help them succeed in a market economy as grown-ups. Effective use of the life-long knowledge gained by the students through this program has been reinforced by teachers and parents in the last more than ten years.”
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