Schoulspuerfester, a tradition born at BCEE

It all began with the Spuerkeess’ statutory mission of promoting saving in all its forms within the population of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. As a result, the famous Schoulspuerfester are deeply rooted in BCEE’s history and in Luxembourg’s long tradition of financial education. Lisa Wells, Head of Marketing at BCEE, explains the importance of this annual event.

What is the role of the Schoulspuerfester?

Each year, for the last 57 years, Spuerkeess has invited primary school children aged 6-7 years old and their teachers to visit the theatre and watch a play specially created for the occasion. Each time, around 5000 children from more than 160 schools in Luxembourg are delighted to take part in this event, which seeks to teach them the value of saving in a fun and enjoyable way.

The Schoulspuerfester play a central role as part of children’s financial education.
Lisa Wells - Head of Marketing
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Although our society’s consumption habits have changed a great deal, particularly with the spread of digital technology, the importance of saving has not changed. With this in mind, we are keen to make children aware of the theme of money and saving, from a very early age.

The characters Tweeni and Tweena on stage during the Schoulspuerfest — This year's protagonists: Tweeni and Tweena

How do the kids react?

As well as giving them their first taste of the world of finance, the Schoulspuerfester are also an exciting time for the children. For most of them, this is the first time they have seen a play at the theatre and they will remember the piggy bank (“Spuerbéchs”) they received as a gift at the end of the event for a long time to come. This Spuerbéchs will always bring to mind the fun way they first learned about saving, but it will also remind them of the great time they had.

What’s more, the theatre plays are educational and well thought out, and bring the children a story about saving they can understand and enjoy. This year, a brand-new play entitled “Sing a song” has been produced by the producer and songwriter Robi Arend, who is well-known both nationally and internationally for his musical career with the group Saxitude but also for his musical stories for children. In this story, a twin sister and brother, learn that they need to save if they are to make their dreams come true.

The Tweenz Savings account

The savings account for children between the age of 0 and 12.

When you consider the way our society is changing, is this tradition still relevant today?

On the one hand, the stories in the plays are perfectly adapted to the trends and topics of the day. On the other hand, the Schoulspuerfester still retain all of their importance and charm.

Saving is a timeless subject and one which concerns our children in the same way that it concerned us before them.
Lisa Wells - Head of Marketing
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To be able to buy something, you need to have money set aside and it’s precisely in a consumer society like the one we’re living in that we should never stop promoting financial education, the value of money and the importance of saving.