Congratulations: Chee and Education Ministry daily school management division senior deputy director Abidin Marjan (sixth and seventh from right) presenting the award to SMK Saujana Utama principal Noor Hayati Embong (centre), project coordinator Hamidah Mukhtar (far right) and teachers.
TWO schools in Selangor will represent Malaysia at the upcoming AIA Healthiest Schools (AHS) Regional Awards in Da Nang, Vietnam, where they will compete with winners from other nations for prizes totalling US$100,000 (RM424,500).
SJK (C) Hwa Lien and SMK Saujana Utama, the national-level primary and secondary champions, will compete alongside winning schools from Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Australia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and the Philippines in the regional round of the competition next month.
During the AHS Awards ceremony at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur on May 22, SJK (C) Hwa Lien and SMK Saujana Utama received US$10,000 (RM42,450) each for coming out on top in their respective categories of the AHS national-level competition.
The awards ceremony celebrated the achievements of 18 primary and secondary schools, recognising their innovative and impactful efforts in promoting student well-being and driving meaningful change within school communities. The winning schools were selected based on project scope and execution, level of engagement with teachers, students and the wider community, overall impact as well as long-term sustainability.
At this year’s ceremony, which marked the culmination of the second edition of the AHS Competition – a key highlight of the AHS programme – primary and secondary schools received prize money totalling US$100,000 (RM424,500).
Held from October last year to March this year, the competition received over 60 entries from government, private and international schools across Malaysia.
SJK (C) Hwa Lien, a small island school located on Pulau Ketam, was awarded the top prize for its My School, My Home 2.0 initiative.
Nine primary schools were honoured for promoting health and well-being.
Designed to address mental health challenges stemming from digital stress, social isolation and language barriers among students, the school introduced inclusive modules focusing on emotional well-being, cultural celebration, physical activity, and language support.
The initiative successfully fostered a more connected and resilient student body with the support of parents, the Orang Asli community and neighbouring schools.
The second, third and fourth place winners in the primary school category were SK Jalan Empat in Selangor, and SK Oran and SK Kuala Perlis in Perlis, respectively.
SJK (C) Pui Ying in Selangor, SK Padang Temu in Melaka, SJK (C) Lawan Kuda Baru in Perak, SJK (C) Han Chiang in Penang and SK Changkat Jawi in Perlis received the Highly Commended Award.
In the secondary school category, SMK Saujana Utama in Sungai Buloh clinched first place for Canscape, a creative art-therapy programme under its Terapi Seni Ekspresi mental health initiative, which saw students using recycled tin cans as canvases to express their emotions, turning a simple and low-cost artistic outlet into a powerful tool for emotional regulation.
The initiative helped reduce stress and negative behaviours such as vandalism while promoting emotional awareness and empathy.
SMK Kuala Jenderis and SMK Kampung Baru Kerteh in Terengganu, and SMK Bukit Baru in Melaka came in second, third and fourth place, respectively, in the secondary school category.
SMK (P) Treacher Methodist in Perak, SMK Telok Gadong in Selangor, Sayfol International School in Kuala Lumpur, SMK Paya Rumput in Melaka and SMK Kijal in Terengganu were all presented with the Highly Commended Award.
Each of the second, third and fourth prize winners in both the primary and secondary school categories took home US$7,500 (RM31,838), while recipients of the Highly Commended Award received a cash prize of US$3,500 (RM14,858) each.
AIA Malaysia chief marketing officer Chee Foong Wai said the AHS programme is part of the company’s aim to nurture a culture of health and well-being from an early age.
“We believe real change can start in the classroom. In just two years, what began as a simple vision has made progressive strides. The programme has sparked creativity and passion and empowered the next generation to take charge of their physical, mental and environmental well-being.
“We’re incredibly encouraged by the response to this year’s competition, which saw twice as many entries compared to last year. It’s a positive sign that the momentum is growing – with more schools taking proactive steps to create healthier and happier learning environments for their students,” she said during the awards ceremony.
Thanking its partners, she said AIA was proud to celebrate the remarkable efforts of children and educators who are driving real change and making a difference in their schools.
Endorsed by the Education Ministry, the AHS programme, launched in 2023, is designed to empower schools to promote healthy eating, active lifestyles, mental well-being and sustainability among students aged five to 16.
The programme provides free multilingual teaching resources in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin, as well as hands-on teacher workshops to equip teachers to effectively introduce health and well-being concepts in the classrooms.
Schools interested in registering for the AHS programme can find more information at https://ahs.aia.com/my/en, where teaching resources are also available.
Entries for the third edition of the AHS competition can be submitted from October this year.
