On the occasion of the International Day of Education, a final event of the Financial Education at School competition for teachers was held on January 24, a collaborative effort by the National Bank of Georgia, the financial education portal Finedu (www.finedu.gov.ge), the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia, and the State Insurance Supervision Service of Georgia. The event saw the announcement and recognition of the prize-winning teachers.

The award ceremony commenced with address by Natia Turnava, Acting Governor of the National Bank of Georgia, who highlighted the critical role of advancing financial education among students as a key priority within the NBG’s broader financial education strategy. Natia Turnava emphasized that effective financial education not only contributes to individual prosperity, family well-being, and the establishment of a robust financial basis, but also plays a crucial role in ensuring overall financial stability within the country.

Underlining the active collaboration between the NBG, the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth, and the financial and insurance sectors in promoting financial education, Natia Turnava noted: “Today marks a year since the renewed National Strategy for Financial Education that draws on both regional and international, and already on Georgian experience. Georgia stands out in Central and Eastern Europe with a comprehensive strategy, and a distinctive portfolio of activities. As part of the initiative, approximately 700 citizenship teachers were trained to enhance financial literacy in schools. Furthermore, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, two comprehensive manuals for citizenship teachers in grades 7 and 9 were developed. With this competition, we gave the teachers a unique opportunity to create interesting learning resources that their colleagues will be able to use”.

Tamar Makharashvili, Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Youth, and David Onoprishvili, Head of the State Insurance Supervision Service, also addressed the contestants.

The teacher competition, kicked off in June of the previous year, set forth specific guidelines for participants. In accordance with the competition's criteria, educators were tasked with producing engaging learning activities focused on exploring financial literacy topics outlined in the national curriculum. The competition's objectives aimed at fostering students' curiosity in financial education matters, generating supplementary educational resources pertaining to the national curriculum's financial literacy content, and ultimately advancing the effective pedagogy of these subjects.

Teachers from all parts of Georgia participated in the competition. Among the 65 teachers representing various private and public schools, a total of 20 teachers successfully advanced to the final stage.

Finally, the jury, consisting of representatives of the competition's partner organizations, identified the winners of 5 special prizes, two 2nd places and three 1st places.

As per the jury's decision, the first-place honors in the Financial Education at School competition were given to Mariam Bolkvadze, a teacher at the Georgian-American International School Progress, Pikria Khachapuridze, an educator at the 33rd Public School of Kutaisi, and Nana Kupreishvili, a teacher at the Georgian-American International School Progress.

Mimosa Gholijashvili, a public school teacher in the village of Khidistavi, Gori municipality, and Tamar Chagelishvili, a teacher of the Besik Kapanadze public school in the village of Dzlevijvari, Kareli municipality, became the second place holders.

The Financial Education at School competition received valuable support and sponsorship from the following esteemed partners: Civic Education Teachers' Forum, Bank of Georgia JSC, TBC Bank JSC, Basisbank JSC, Liberty Bank JSC, Credo Bank JSC, PSP Insurance JSC, and Georgian Insurance Group JSC.