Nova Iguaçu school implements fictional currency for financial education

Students in the 7th grade at the Escola Municipal Professora Irene da Silva Oliveira in Nova Iguaçu are participating in a practical financial education project called ‘Bufunfa Negros’. The initiative uses a fictional currency known as ‘BN’ to teach students about planning, saving, conscious consumption, and decision-making.

Students earn BN through positive behaviors such as completing assignments, helping peers, maintaining good attendance, and achieving high grades. Conversely, unjustified absences or disruptive behavior can lead to the loss of the currency. Students can use their accumulated BN at a school market to purchase stationery, games, and technological items. The project also allows students to ‘invest’ their currency, with the option to double their accumulated amount at the end of a bimester.

Created by mathematics teacher Priscila Negros, the project aims to connect curriculum content to the students' reality. Municipal Secretary of Education Virgínia Rocha noted that the initiative helps develop autonomy and responsibility, skills that students can carry throughout their lives.