Masters of the Digital Future titles awarded by the Governor and the President

The grand finale and concluding ceremony of this year's debating project organised by Banka Slovenije took place today. The sponsors of the Masters of the Digital Future project, Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar and Banka Slovenije Governor Boštjan Vasle, presented the well-deserved awards to the winners. Among the secondary school students, the Masters of the Digital Future title went to the Bežigrad High School and Ledina High School teams, while among the primary school pupils the title was awarded to the Domžale Primary School and Vencelj Perko Domžale Primary School teams. The aim of the debating project is to take a step forward in educating young people about financial matters, while emphasising the importance of incorporating financial knowledge into the education process.  

Banka Slovenije has been strengthening its efforts to improve the financial literacy of children and young people. In this context, we carry out a variety of activities and every year we augment our regular programmes with a major project, which also provides the opportunity for inter-institutional collaboration. This time around, we have joined forces with the Office of the President of the Republic of Slovenia on Masters of the Digital Future, a nationwide youth debating project intended for pupils in the last three grades of primary school and secondary school students. Around 600 primary- and secondary-school pupils and students from 40 educational institutions participated in the project.

Today's grand finale saw students competing in the seasoned debaters category, with teams from Bežigrad High School and Domžale Primary School clinching victory. The winners in the new debaters category were already decided a while ago, with teams from Ledina High School and Vencelj Perko Domžale Primary School taking the honours. The winners received their well-deserved recognitions today from the hands of the Slovenian President and the Governor of Banka Slovenije.

"I'm proud and happy to see that you've responded to this project, which addresses topics that are highly important for society and our future, in such large numbers. What is key here is your ability to debate politely and respectfully. This is a value you should carry with you," said President Nataša Pirc Musar, addressing the teens. She thanked all the participants and their mentors for encouraging them to embark on this journey of debating the topics of the future. "As digital masters, you'll be able to take on future challenges and help create our society more easily. Perhaps there's a future President of Slovenia sitting among you, or a future Governor of Banka Slovenije. So onwards and upwards!" the President said to the young participants.

In turn, the Governor of Banka Slovenije, Boštjan Vasle, pointed out that "Masters of the Digital Future is an extremely successful project that I'm very proud of because it contributes to spreading knowledge and broadening horizons in two important areas: finance and digital technology. Our goal is for children and teens to understand the world around them a bit better when they grow up and know how to manage their finances. In addition, through their activities the students have learned that progress and development can be achieved not only with digitalisation, but also dialogue. By being involved in various areas, listening to others and engaging in debates, we can achieve the best possible results. And these are also drivers of development."

The winners will be rewarded with a trip to Frankfurt, where they will be given a tour of the European Central Bank and the city’s major sights. All the finalists will meet President Nataša Pirc Musar at the Presidential Palace.