Learning experience

The Historical Archive of  National Bank of Greece (HA/NBG) began to offer  educational programs in the 2005–2006 academic year. Since then, both the number of available programs and the number of participating students have significantly increased. Initially aimed at secondary education, the programs are now open to all levels of education, also including kindergartens on a pilot basis. The programs are continuously enriched with new activities and accompanied by educational material.

Approximately 3,000 students visit the Megaro Diomidi each academic year. The Archive welcomes daily school groups that attend one of the available educational programs. Educational tours are always combined with a variety of experiential  activities. The aim of the HA/NBG educational programs is to present a dynamic scientific institution that is able to stimulate  students’ interest in the history, economy, society and culture of their country.

Students are given the opportunity to engage with an important part of modern Greek history and become, at the same time, familiar with the disciplines of archival science and history, thus understanding the way they contribute to the preservation of the country’s collective memory.

 

Objectives of the HA/NBG Educational Programs

• To introduce children to historically significant archival material and familiarize them with the methods used in its processing.

• To raise awareness of the importance of archival processing and electronic cataloguing as well as the multiple ways of archive collection utilization.

• To restore a dynamic contact between children and the historical and social environment of their country while fostering knowledge and understanding of the interrelationship between economic and social history.

On every occasion, the programs are adapted to the students’ age and learning level, the purpose of their visit as well as the capabilities and needs of special education institutions such as Special Education schools, Second Chance schools, intercultural schools and evening schools.

 

Educational Programs according to level of education

The primary education programs have been designed to introduce children to history, mythology and aesthetics through the exhibition on the history of Greek banknotes. They also explore the concept of preserving memory through the archives and collections of the country’s first financial institution (including 19th and 20th century documents, photographs, office equipment, etc.).

The educational visits of lower and upper secondary education students are based on the national curriculum and act supportively to the teaching of subjects such as history, economics, technology, information technology and career guidance. In addition, they serve as a starting point for project-based learning within interdisciplinary and innovative educational activities.

Participation in these programs contributes to familiarization with museum and archive environment, promotes active learning and aesthetic education and, most importantly, serves as a stimulus for opening up the school to the wider world and fostering engagement with human creativity.

 

School Participation in IA/ETE Educational Programs

 

Academic Year	Schools	Students
2005-2006	52	2369
2006-2007	87	2431
2007-2008	57	1901
2008-2009	94	3169
2009-2010 *	41	1253
2010-2011	84	3148
2011-2012	109	3933
2012-2013	130	4674
2013-2014	110	3703
2014-2015	119	4109
2015-2016	118	4009
2016-2017	111	4210
2017-2018	5	101
2018-2019	17	450
2019-2020**	60	1991
2020-2021**	-	-
2021-2022**	3	32
2022-2023	58	1808
2023-2024	43	1515
2024-2025	49	1522
2025-2026	49	1753

 

 

 

* Due to swine flu and teachers’ strikes, many educational visits did not take place throughout the year.

** Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, educational programs were not carried out in the period from March 2020 to September 2022.