The National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia, the Ministry of Finance and the Insurance Supervision Agency today awarded the most successful literary and art works submitted to the Competition on the occasion of International Savings Day - 31st October. The awards were handed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Mr. Zoran Stavreski, the Governor of the NBRM, Mr. Dimitar Bogov and the President of the Council of Experts of the Insurance Supervision Agency, Mr. Klime Poposki. 

At the Competition arrived 310 works of which 51 poems and 259 paintings. The Competition is within the activities on raising the financial literacy level and the general awareness of financial literacy, financial inclusion and financial education of the population, especially the youth. According to the three institutions, the ideas of children on savings and insurance that are presented in their works are very creative and innovative. The children of the 12 most successful works received certificates and cash prizes, and the schools that participated in the Competition were awarded with certificates as well.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Mr. Zoran Stavreski said that the goal is, the youth from an early age to learn the financial basics that they will need, that they will encounter and use them later in life.- Children should be taught how to manage with their budget, as we do with the budget of the Republic of Macedonia on a larger scale, but the concept is the same, money must be spent economically and managed in a way to use them for the most important needs. But, before you do that, you need to have money, and to have them you need to save them and, of course to be insured, because there are risks in life, said Stavreski.
He emphasized that the children are our future and if they receive this education from early years and the knowledge, that type of future will be better, including the finances.
According to him, the children through the Competition managed to express one serious topic in cheerful and playful paintings and poems. He recommended to the children that it is important to learn well, to be both curious and creative, to read constantly and to comprehend new knowledge on various topics, not only from the schoolbooks, but also from other sources.
According to the Governor, Mr. Dimitar Bogov, the focus of the activities is on the young people, because they will be drivers of the economy.- They will be the future owners of companies, entrepreneurs, bankers, managers, and the more they learn to improve their education, the better they will be in the future, said Bogov.
He pointed that the goal is to provide greater knowledge to citizens on how to manage their money and what are the risks while dealing with money and financial institutions, because informed citizens are those who know how to make good decisions.
Klime Poposki, President of the Council of Experts of the Insurance Supervision Agency noted that early financial education is very important. We, as key institutions, care for early financial education which represents a long-term investment for the whole society and the government, said Poposki.
He informs that the Agency has already promoted appropriate educational tools aimed at literacy and learning of the children in the last two years. He announced that they plan to promote one informative material every year as well.