Mayo schools invited to compete to represent Ireland at European Money Quiz in Brussels
Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI), with the support of the Business Studies Teachers' Association of Ireland (BSTAI), have opened registration for the Irish finals of the 2024 European Money Quiz – Europe’s largest financial education competition for 13- to 15-year-old students involving 28 countries.
Teachers and schools from Mayo and across Ireland are now invited to register their students at www.bpfi.ie/european-money-quiz to take part in the Irish leg of the quiz which will see classrooms up and down the country go head-to-head in the live online final on Thursday, March 21.
Playing in teams of two, students will be tested on a series of financial questions and compete directly against each other in real time using the Kahoot! learning platform. The winning team will be flown to Brussels in April to take on students from over 28 other European countries for a chance to be crowned European champions and share in a prize fund of €5,000 for their school.
Speaking on the opening of the registrations for this year’s competition, Mairead McGuinness, European Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union, said: “The European Money Quiz is a fantastic initiative that helps make students in Ireland and across Europe aware of the importance of understanding money and being able to manage their personal finances. The earlier in life that we build up financial awareness, the better. It has all sorts of benefits in terms of resilience, preparing for a future career, and being able to navigate independence when you grow up.
“I’m a great believer in empowering young people so that they have the ability to manage their money now and, in the future, because the choices we make around money, really matter.”
BPFI hosts the Irish finals of the quiz and works closely with the European Banking Federation for the European finals.
Brian Hayes, chief executive of BPFI, stated: “The European Money Quiz is a great opportunity for students to engage in financial education in a fun and dynamic way. Last year we had almost 4,000 students registered across nearly every county in Ireland, and we hope to exceed that number in 2024.
“BPFI is delighted to sponsor the winners of the Irish quiz to go on to Brussels in April to take part in the European finals, where Irish students have always performed exceptionally well in the past, securing a podium spot in the top three European teams on three occasions.”
Margaret McDonnell, representative of BSTAI, added: “The European Money Quiz has been a huge success in schools over the past few years. Understanding and learning about money and finance is really important for young people and I would strongly encourage teachers across Ireland to sign up and get their students participating. It is not only for students doing business studies – anyone between 13 and 15 years of age can take part.
“The live competition element really brings a bit of fun and excitement to the classroom as students compete against other schools and see the scoreboard change in real-time.”
The European Money Quiz is part of European Money Week (EMW), a joint initiative between the European Banking Federation and 30 banking associations across Europe, including BPFI, which aims to boost financial literacy levels and raise awareness on the benefits of financial education. This year Money Week is taking place from March 18 to 24.