The University of Barcelona and the ICO Foundation, winners of the Finanzas para Todos award for their innovative training in financial education

La UB i la Fundació ICO han estat premiades amb el distingit guardó Finances per a Tothom.
La UB i la Fundació ICO han estat premiades amb el distingit guardó Finances per a Tothom.
News | Academic
(26/09/2024)
The University of Barcelona and the ICO Foundation have been awarded the distinguished Finanzas para Todos (Finance for All) award in the ninth edition of the Financial Education Plan (PEF) awards, organized by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Commerce and Business, the Bank of Spain and the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV). This award, which recognizes the work of the PEF’s collaborators, highlights the work of the UB and the ICO Foundation for their contribution to improving children’s financial literacy through the training of primary school teachers. 
La UB i la Fundació ICO han estat premiades amb el distingit guardó Finances per a Tothom.
La UB i la Fundació ICO han estat premiades amb el distingit guardó Finances per a Tothom.
News | Academic
26/09/2024
The University of Barcelona and the ICO Foundation have been awarded the distinguished Finanzas para Todos (Finance for All) award in the ninth edition of the Financial Education Plan (PEF) awards, organized by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Commerce and Business, the Bank of Spain and the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV). This award, which recognizes the work of the PEF’s collaborators, highlights the work of the UB and the ICO Foundation for their contribution to improving children’s financial literacy through the training of primary school teachers. 

The award-winning project, an online financial education course, was developed by a team of experts from the UB’s Faculty of Economics and Business and coordinated by professors Manuela Bosch and Yolanda Blasco, in collaboration with the Faculty of Education Sciences of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), with the support of the ICO Foundation. The course has been created with the aim of providing primary school teachers with didactic tools and content to incorporate financial education into the curriculum, in line with the objectives set out in Royal Decree 157/2022, which provides for the introduction of financial literacy in primary education. 

The award will be presented on 7 October at the Bank of Spain’s headquarters in Madrid, during the main event of Financial Education Day, which this year is being held under the slogan “Digital Finance: Learn, Innovate, Advance”. This event not only recognises financial education initiatives, but also promotes the responsible use of digital finance among young people. 

An innovative and necessary project 

The initiative was born in 2022 in response to the growing need to incorporate financial literacy education from an early age. To date, most financial education programmes have focused on secondary school students, high school students or more vulnerable groups, such as the elderly. This project is innovative in that it specifically targets primary school children, as they are an integral part of the economic system and need to understand the value of money, savings and consumption management from an early age. 

The 40-hour course is structured in modules that explore everyday financial concepts through environments familiar to children, such as the home, the shop, the bank or the school. This methodology allows teachers to prepare tailored materials for classroom work on savings, budget planning and risk management to help prepare students for responsible financial management throughout their adult lives. 

Impact and recognition 

The project has been recognized not only for its innovation, but also for its potential long-term impact. In the first editions of the course, which was publicly launched in September 2023, more than sixty teachers have already participated in the programme, demonstrating a growing demand for this type of training. In addition, the initiative has received accreditation from the autonomous communities of Aragon, Catalonia and Madrid, thus consolidating its recognition at state level.