True to their commitment to engage a billion people to live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives by 2030 through the AIA One Billion initiative, the AIA Group is delighted to announce the regional winners of the first AIA Healthiest Schools Competition.
Out of the 744 primary and secondary schools across Australia, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam that participated in the first run, two schools emerged because of their dedication to promoting healthy habits to their students – Daroonwittaya School in Thailand won in the Regional Primary School category while Alpha School in Vietnam is the winner in the Regional Secondary School category.
The regional winners were announced at an awards ceremony attended by Malaysia’s Minister of Education and other stakeholders from the education sector. The winning entries were judged on the breadth of their work, level of engagement with staff and students, impact and future plans.
Daroonwittaya School stood apart from others due to its comprehensive approach to health and wellness. The school prioritised various aspects, including nutrition, physical fitness, mental well-being, and sustainability, with enthusiastic participation by the students.
Meanwhile, Alpha School in Vietnam wowed the panel with the creative manner in which they focused on the mental
well-being of their students through immersive workshops. Their “School of Well-being” exhibition addressed health issues facing children in an innovative and impactful way.
Aside from the honour and recognition, the winning schools will be rewarded with world-class equipment, resources and access to expert advice which will address the most pressing challenges they have identified. These prizes will accelerate their health initiatives and instil a strong foundation for sustainable healthy living in their community.
AIA Healthiest Schools Programme
“As the leading pan-Asian life and health insurer, the well-being of our communities is extremely important to AIA. We are proud of the early success of the initiative, and we will continue to accelerate our vision to create the largest community of schools, parents, and students that instils lifelong healthy behaviours in the region.
The AIA Healthiest Schools competition furthers AIA’s ambition to engage, educate and inspire a billion people to live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives by 2030,” said Stuart A. Spencer, Chief Marketing Officer of the AIA Group.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), children today face a host of new threats linked to unhealthy lifestyles and diets, climate change, pollution, injury, violence and inequality. However, their research shows that investing in children’s health, education and well-being brings substantial returns for societies.
For this reason, AIA has partnered with education specialist, EVERFI, to design the AIA Healthiest Schools programme.
Last May, EVERFI conducted research amongst 800 teachers across the participating regions and found that 89% of teachers agree that there is a need for more resources and education that takes a holistic health approach encompassing physical, mental and environmental wellness. 87% of teachers also indicated that the pandemic has had a negative impact on students’ mental health.
The AIA Healthiest Schools Programme will comprise a competition to motivate participating schools to showcase their impact and success in driving better health outcomes among their students. The competition will also serve as a platform for schools to build communities that share best practices and spark innovative ideas around promoting health and wellness.
The AIA Healthiest Schools programme will also provide teachers with free, engaging curriculum-linked resources that can be easily adapted into existing teaching plans.
The initiative fosters active lifestyles, mental well-being and healthy eating habits among primary and secondary school students in Asia.
“Helping people live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives guides everything that we do.
Through the power of education, the AIA Healthiest Schools programme will instil healthy behaviours in young people at an early age and bring lasting change to improve the health and wellness of our next generation,” said Lee Yuan Siong, Chief Executive and President of the AIA Group.
With the successful first run during the academic year 2022/2023, the programme aims to expand its reach across AIA’s other markets in Asia. To find out more about the winning schools and to register for the next phase of the programme, visit ahs.aia.com.
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