A Bitcoin (BTC) education nonprofit based in El Salvador recently unveiled an updated version of its program Bitcoin Diploma. The initiative aims to promote cryptocurrency adoption and educate citizens about blockchain technology.
El Salvador and bitcoin
In 2021, bitcoin was recognized as legal tender in El Salvador. Since then, the country's government has created a public Bitcoin ATM network and a state-owned BTC wallet. Additionally, there was an initiative to build Bitcoin City.
In addition to the government, local organizations also pursue pro-Bitcoin policy. One of them is Mi Primer Bitcoin (My First Bitcoin), which started promoting BTC adoption in El Salvador.
But let's go back in time. In June 2022, the first 10-week educational program was launched, with several dozen public school students participating. This initiative was the first time the program was implemented BTC Diploma. Everything happened in cooperation with the Ministry of Education of El Salvador.
Teacher training
Today, the nonprofit organization trains as many as 700 public school teachers across the country. Educators will then implement the BTC curriculum in their local schools. The curriculum covers a variety of topics, including the history of money, the history of government-issued currency, the challenges of fiat money, and how bitcoin provides solutions to these problems. In addition, there are technical issues regarding the operation of the Lightning Network.
The curriculum is based on 175-page “notebook”, which is divided into ten chapters. All materials are publicly available on GitHub, and the organization encourages foreign entities to translate the materials and use them in other countries. The 2023 edition has already been translated into 23 languages (including Korean, Swahili, Russian, Japanese and Hindi).
John Dennehy, founder and executive director of My First Bitcoin, emphasized his and his colleagues' belief in the importance of BTC education:
We believe that bitcoin education will change the world (…). Learning financial skills in the BTC era (…) leads to significant results.