After an inspiring competition journey with thousands of schools, UPTD SD Negeriela Pap - Indonesia has excellently won the Asian region Award within the framework of the 3rd season of the "AIA Strongest School" program. This is the highest award of the program, recognizing outstanding educational projects in promoting a healthy and comprehensive lifestyle for students aged 5 to 16.
On the remote island of Rote Ndao, Eastern Nusa Tenggara province (Indonesia), the small primary school UPTD SD Negeri Papela has created changes from waste. Faced with the serious problem of waste and low illiteracy rate, teachers and students have jointly initiated the project "Ecolitera: The Story From Waste".
The children collected plastic bottles, tires and household waste to recycle into study tables and chairs, letterboards, school gardens and fertilizers to support local farmers. The project has helped improve students' reading and writing outcomes by 70% and at the same time raised awareness of environmental protection. It is this good message that helped UPTD SD Negeri Papela win the first prize in Asia.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Mr. Andrew Loh (General Director of AIA Vietnam) shared: The AIA Strongest School Program is not just a simple educational initiative, it is a journey to create substantial and lasting changes for the community. 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of AIA's activities in Vietnam, and we always pursue a clear mission: Helping Vietnamese people live healthier, longer and happier. The AIA Strongest School Program has been realizing that mission in a practical way, spreading from within the school to the community".
In addition, the Organizing Committee also awarded separate categories to 4 core pillars, including the Health and Sustainable Development Award (Tessaban 1 Kittikachorn School, Thailand) for Biodegradable Products from fallen Trees; the Mental Health Award (SMP Negeri 43 Bandun School, Indonesia) for school bullying application; the Dynamic Lifestyle Award ( Jaffna Hindu College, Sri Lanka) for school bicycle system; the Healthy Diet Award (Happy Hollow National High School, Philippines) for organic farm project combined with nutritional education.
Officially launched in 2021, the program "AIA Strongest School" has quickly become an educational initiative with widespread influence in the Asia - Pacific region. With the orientation of accompanying the education sector in building a positive school environment, the program provides a set of healthy living teaching materials completely free of charge, easy to integrate into the current curriculum. In Vietnam, the 2024 - 2025 season recorded more than 651 schools registering to participate, reflecting the positive response from the education community, parents and students.
This year, two representatives of Vietnam, UK Academy Da Nang Primary, Secondary and High School (First Prize in Primary School) and Times School Khai Son Secondary School (Hanoi, First Prize in Secondary School) were selected for the Asian region competition round, competing with schools from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong (China) and Australia.
The winning schools were honored at the vibrant regional awards ceremony held in Da Nang, Vietnam, with a total prize value of up to 100,000 USD to support health and welfare initiatives being implemented at schools.
