November 2, 2023, Budapest – The Money Museum launched its "Suitcase Museum-Journey Around Money" program series in September. In this 45-minute special lesson, primary and secondary school students can get acquainted with basic financial knowledge through modern, playful, interactive pedagogical methods. The lesson fits in with the economic and financial education of the National Curriculum's civic education subject, which aims to develop consumer and financial awareness. The programme was launched in September 2023 and will run in schools in Budapest and across the country until mid-December. The programme is planned to reach 350 classrooms and about 8,000 students. The lessons cover several topics according to the age of the students, including Family Budgeting, Modern Money Management, Purchasing Power of Money, Monetary Policy and Banknote Security.

The numbers of the national tour, which started two months ago, are impressive: more than 3000 students and their teachers have so far participated in the sessions across the country. The children's interest in financial topics is palpable. They find new knowledge useful, such as using a bank card, the differences between cash and bank cards, how to shop online and how to open an account. The children are very involved in the exercises. They are interested in finding the hidden security features of money and are happy to browse under a UV-light for details not visible to the naked eye. They are happy if they can remember a withdrawn banknote, bring up the fact that their parents have a milpengo, or even a bilpengo, in their drawer. Overall, they are concerned about the future of finance, whether there will be new banknotes, whether cash will disappear. They are also very enthusiastic in the class about designing money. It is particularly gratifying to see that word of the activity is spreading among the teachers in the corridor, and in the teachers’ room, and the the museum educator who is running the session is already getting recruited for other classes on the corridor.

The successes achieved so far, and the positive reception of the schools clearly show that the Suitcase Museum – Travel Around Money project fills a gap in the financial development and education of young people. Seeing the success of the first months, the Money Museum therefore decided to continue its highly successful program series in 2024. There is work to be done. An important part of the initiative is to bring financial education to regions where other, similar programmes find it difficult or impossible to reach.