More than 200 secondary school students last week took part in a programme aimed at bolstering their fiscal knowledge.

The Ministry of Home Affairs hosted the Dollars and Sense Teen Financial Literacy Experience on March 19 and 20, when pupils took part in a simulation of adult monetary responsibilities.

The initiative, which is part of the ministry’s Affordable Bermuda Agenda, involved about 210 students from The Berkeley Institute, CedarBridge Academy, the Bermuda Institute, the Adult Education School, Mount Saint Agnes Academy, Somersfield Academy and the Bermuda Centre for Creative Learning.

A government spokeswoman said that each student was assigned a realistic personal profile, including income and life circumstances.

The attendees were guided through decision-making exercises spanning housing and rent, utilities, transportation, groceries, insurance, banking and savings, credit and debt, and unexpected expenses.

Alexa Lightbourne, the Minister of Home Affairs, said: “We recognise that Bermuda is one of the most expensive jurisdictions in the world and that pressure does not wait for adulthood before it begins to shape choices.

“It is already present in the decisions households are making and in the realities our young people are observing every day.

“Dollars and Sense was about giving students the experience of making decisions and living with the consequences. That is how understanding takes root.”

She added that financial literacy programmes are an important component of efforts to help households.

The minister said: “Reducing the cost of groceries means less if families do not know how to budget effectively.

“Rent protections mean less if tenants do not understand their rights.

“Dollars and Sense connects those policies to real-world understanding.”

The spokeswoman said that the initiative will be formally evaluated with an eye to expand the programme to reach a broader cross-section of students.