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AIA Group announced that Angchum Lower Secondary School in Kampot province claimed the top prize in the Health and Sustainability category after prevailing against nearly 1,000 submissions from schools across the Asia-Pacific. The selection recognised the institution’s Plastic Free School drive together with complementary activities that promoted hygiene and community involvement. Judges evaluated entries on their ability to convert health and environmental knowledge into sustained daily practices among students and staff alike. The award forms part of the company’s longstanding Healthiest Schools programme.
The school confronted multiple obstacles including a severe shortage of teaching personnel, a canteen dependent on disposable plastics, substandard sanitation infrastructure and inconsistent access to clean water. Students responded by championing the switch to reusable containers and utensils while forming Green Youth Clubs that organised tree planting, garden maintenance and regular cleanliness drives. Teachers reinforced these steps by embedding related lessons across subjects and demonstrating the behaviours themselves during school hours. Quarterly community clean-ups, sapling distributions and water system repairs further embedded the changes.
Implementation unfolded through structured phases of planning, instruction, group sessions, progress surveys and stakeholder interviews that allowed participants to measure results over time. The approach ensured broad ownership with parents and local residents contributing to hygiene education sessions that gave particular attention to girls’ needs. AIA’s statement detailed how these coordinated actions gradually improved the overall school environment despite resource constraints.
Stuart A. Spencer, head judge and AIA Group Chief Marketing Officer, said in the announcement, “The AIA Healthiest Schools Competition is the largest programme of its kind in Asia and is helping young people take ownership of their health by turning knowledge into action. Congratulations to Angchum Lower Secondary School from Cambodia. Your shining example will inspire countless others across the region, shaping a healthier future for young people all over Asia.” The remarks underscored the competition’s regional reach and its focus on youth empowerment.
Lee Yuan Siong, AIA Group Chief Executive and President, added that “What is most powerful about this programme is that it turns health from something students are taught into something they do every day.” According to the company’s corporate website, the Healthiest Schools initiative targets pupils aged five to 16 across Asia-Pacific markets with the goal of fostering longer, better lives through practical action. Previous editions have similarly recognised institutions in countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines for projects linking education with sustainability.
A report by The KiriPost on health-focused school programmes in Cambodia noted that multiple facilities in Kampot province have received recognition in recent years for comparable community-driven improvements in nutrition and environmental awareness. The US$15,000 grant awarded to Angchum Lower Secondary School will support continued expansion of its green clubs and infrastructure upgrades. AIA operates the competition as a flagship element of its broader corporate responsibility efforts in the region.
