Nova Iguaçu school implements fictitious currency for financial education

The Escola Municipal Professora Irene da Silva Oliveira in Nova Iguaçu has implemented a practical financial education project called ‘Bufunfa Negros’. Seventh-grade students use a fictitious currency known as ‘BN’ to learn essential economic concepts such as planning, saving, conscious consumption, and decision-making.

Students earn BN through positive behaviors, including 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 choose to spend their BN at a school market for stationery, games, and technology, or they can invest it to potentially double their accumulated value by the end of the term.

Created by mathematics teacher Priscila Negros, the initiative aims to connect curriculum content with students' real-world experiences. Municipal Secretary of Education Virgínia Rocha noted that the project helps develop autonomy and responsibility, skills intended to benefit students throughout their lives.