Teachers and students in secondary schools across the country are invited to take part in Bank of Ireland’s All Ireland Money Smarts Challenge, a series of virtual financial literacy quizzes, taking place in March. The quizzes are part of Bank of Ireland’s free ‘Money Smarts’ financial literacy programme for Second Level students, with workshops and events designed to provide students with both financial literacy and key life skills.
The Money Smarts Programme is designed to help students learn about managing their finances and to develop important financial literacy skills. The programme is delivered virtually to students¦ by Bank of Ireland Youth Coordinators through a mix of financial literacy workshops and presentations, tailored for both junior and senior cycle. This year, close to 70 Bank of Ireland branch staff will also be made available to support the existing team of Youth Coordinators to deliver the Money Smarts programme content on request from schools and teachers, and around their class schedules.
Now in its sixth year, the Money Smarts Challenge, an interactive quiz element of the programme, is open for registration to secondary schools across the country:
There will be four virtual Money Smarts Challenge quizzes in 2025.
- Each school can register a maximum of five teams of four students.
- Virtual event dates are Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th of March 2025.
- There will be two virtual quizzes on each of these dates at 9.30am and 11.30am each day.
- The highest scoring three teams in each of the four virtual quizzes will be awarded prizes.
- Twelve schools in total will win Money Smarts Challenge top prizes across these four virtual Money Smarts Challenge events.
- In each quiz, first prize will be €2,000 to the school with the highest score, €1,000 to the school with the second highest score and third prize will be €500 to third placed school.
Rory Carty, Head of Customer Strategy, Segments and Youth Banking, Bank of Ireland said: “Ireland’s financial literacy score for 2024 was 53% according to our latest Financial Wellbeing and Financial Literacy Survey*. The youngest age group surveyed, aged 18-24, ranked lower than the average at 46% a decline of 2% points on the previous year. This underlines the importance of financial education at an early age.
“Programmes like Money Smarts play a role in helping to ensure young people are equipped with the skills to make smart financial decisions. Because we know that the sooner people understand how to manage their money, the better off they’ll be in the long run.
“School engagement with our financial literacy programmes has grown steadily year on year, with more than 600,000 students having participated since 2017. Since September 2024, over 52,000 primary and secondary school students have participated across both our primary and secondary schools financial literacy programmes. We know that teachers see the benefits of the programme, with 100% of those surveyed** saying they will participate in the programme in the 2024/2025 school year. We welcome them and new schools who wish to take part in any aspect of the programme”.
Registration for the Money Smarts Challenge is now open: Money Smarts | Challenge | Bank of Ireland
For further informationMoney Smarts | Secondary School Programme | Bank of Ireland
Research sources:
*Bank of Ireland Financial Wellbeing and Financial Literacy Survey Conducted by Red C, September 2024, among a nationally representative sample of n=1,019 adults aged 18+ living in the Republic of Ireland.
**Money Smarts Programme Survey, May 2024, with Secondary School Teachers in Ireland who participated in the programme.
About Bank of Ireland’s Primary and Second Level schools programmes:
Parent & Guardian Guide – Talking Cents with Kids
To help parents and guardians spark early conversations about money with their young children outside of the school environment, Talking Cents with Kids is a complimentary guide available to access on the Bank of Ireland website. It includes easy money lessons and interactive games and activities to help parents and guardians ignite a natural curiosity about money through active learning, thereby setting their children up for a lifetime of good money habits.
Secondary School Programme – Money Smarts
The Money Smarts Programme ensures financial capability skills are broadened and opportunities for further learning are supported through a programme that challenges students to actively take more responsibility for managing their daily spending and saving effectively.
Money Smarts comes with a 100% recommendation from secondary school teachers who consider it the No. 1 programme for financial literacy for their students**. It consists of a mix of financial literacy presentations, tailored for both junior and senior cycle, including a Fraud presentation and a presentation dedicated to the benefit of bank account ownership, workshops with accompanying workshop packs, the opportunity to set up a School Bank on site in their school and other activities and events. All are inextricably linked to each other, broadening students understanding of financial literacy and the freedom it brings.
The All Ireland Money Smarts Challenge, allows students to take everything they have learned across all programme elements, and put it to the test in this interactive award winning financial literacy quiz, with substantial prizes awarded to schools who compete. With 100%+ recommendation from schools who have participated, it remains ever popular with thousands of students competing each year. In 2024, 120 schools registered to take part, with close to 1,600 students participating.
