Students attending two schools in Antigua and Barbuda gained valuable insight into the world of banking as the banking fraternity observed its annual Financial Information Month (FIM) under the auspices of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB).
Last week, senior staff of CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank invited a group of students from the TN Kirnon School to tour their Old Parham Road branch and held interactive discussions with them, not only about banking, but also about the importance of school and obtaining a solid education, the bank said in a release.
The staff also visited the Clare Hall Secondary School where they discussed a number of topics including careers, reasons and requirements for having a bank account, and general life skills.
During both interactions, one student from each school won an EC$250 account.
Financial Information Month is a regional financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial education campaign executed in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) since 2002, through the collaborative efforts of the ECCB, ECCU member governments, financial and academic institutions, the media, other private and public sector institutions, and community-based groups.
It forms part of an ECCU financial and economic education programme coordinated by the ECCB. The programme incorporates a series of initiatives designed to support the attainment of the goal of “a financially developed and vibrant ECCU region that fosters strong and sustainable economic growth and the improved well-being of the citizenry”, the release said.
The theme of this year’s FIM is financial empowerment through education, with a focus on wealth creation for financial resilience.