Money smart students from Stranorlar reach national quiz final

Students from St Columba’s, Stranorlar have taken part in this year’s Bank of Ireland Money Smarts Quiz Grand Final held in Trinity College Dublin. 

They were among 16 secondary school teams from across Ireland who all emerged victorious from qualifiers held recently in the RDS. The teams gathered at the final in Dublin, with students from Catholic University School, Dublin securing the top prize of €25,000 for their school.

The Bank of Ireland Money Smarts Quiz Challenge is now in its fourth year, with nearly 2,000 students competing this year to reach the Grand Final. 

Money Smarts is Bank of Ireland’s free financial literacy programme for Second Level students, with a financial literacy quiz featuring as the centrepiece of the programme designed to help students learn about managing their finances and to develop good Financial Wellbeing habits.

Rory Carty, Head Youth Banking at Bank of Ireland said: “For all 16 teams here today even qualifying for the Money Smarts Grand Final is an impressive achievement, and I want to especially congratulate Catholic University School from Dublin who have been crowned champions. 

“Good financial habits, like any positive habits, begin at an early age, and to help improve youth financial literacy we are delighted that this programme continues to go from strength to strength.

“It’s not always easy to get teenagers engaged about money management and financial literacy, but Bank of Ireland believes that schools are ideally placed to provide a head start in developing good financial habits for life, which is why we have developed a comprehensive range of supports for teachers and parents. 

“Congratulations to St. Columba’s, Stranorlar, and we wish them all the best of luck for the future.”

Bank of Ireland says its ambition, which has seen almost 420,000 students participate in a range of successful programmes for both Irish primary and secondary schools since 2017, is to bring financial literacy directly into the classroom. 

Money Smarts is critical to this. Bank of Ireland is aiming to grow this number to over 500,000 students in the coming years, equipping students with key life skills, and helping improve financial confidence and people’s ability to make better financial decisions later in life.