High schools in Malaysia and the Philippines won the top prizes of the 2020 SEAMEO-Japan ESD Award for their exemplary achievements in education and sustainable development (ESD).
The award is conferred by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)-Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology (MEXT) in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Asia Pacific Regional Bureau for Education.
With the theme “Addressing Plastic Problems for Transforming Communities,” the 2020 award recognized the efforts of schools in Southeast Asia to implement programs that transformed the community with impactful evidence in reducing the plastic usage, improving the plastic waste management system, and cleaning the ecosystem of the community.
This year’s SEAMEO-Japan ESD theme is aligned with SEARCA’s goal to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Responsible Consumption and Production as set in its 11th Five-Year Plan (2020-2025). Headed by Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA is intent on “Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN)” from 2020 to 2025.
Students of SM St. Patrick, Tawau, Malaysia, the first prize winner of the 2020 SEAMEO-Japan ESD Award
Second prize winner SMK Kunak Jaya Malaysia students
Malaysian high schools SM St. Patrick, Tawau and SMK Kunak Jaya Malaysia bagged the first and second prizes for their projects titled “Five Greens Programme” and “Small Acts, Big Impact,” respectively. The top winner has 1,066 students in Grade 10-12, while the second placer has 912 students in Grade 7-12.
Students of third placer Salvacion National High School in action
Salvacion National High School in Davao del Norte, Philippines won the third prize for its “Project GO G.R.E.E.N. (Greeneration, Rehabilitation and Education for an Eco-friendly Nation against waste pollution).” It has 841 students in Grade 7-12.
Learners of special prize winner Baay National High School reuse plastic bottles in a construction project
On the other hand, Baay National High School in Abra, Philippines received a special prize for Best Programme Carried Out in Small Schools of Less than 250 Students. Its winning entry is titled “Project CHANGE (Clean, Habitable, Adaptable and Nurturing Greener Environment).” Baay National High School has 237 students in Grade 7-12.
According to SEAMEO, to be qualified to vie for the award, the participating schools “should clearly demonstrate the integration of the school initiative in all schools’ aspects such as school policy, management plan, curriculum, teaching and learning practices, co-curricular and student activities, partnership efforts, community participation, and so on.”
Moreover, during the search for the 2020 winners, SEAMEO said entries should demonstrate the community engagement with multisectoral partners that create mutual beneficial partnerships, deepen student learning experiences, support student growth, and sustain the society.
The winners emerged from among 181 schools from eight Southeast Asian countries, namely: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Now in its ninth year, the award aims to raise and promote positive human values among both teachers and students, and share best practices in ESD in schools across Southeast Asia.