The ASEAN Eco-Schools Việt Nam Award 2024 was launched on Monday. Photo dangcongsan.vn

HÀ NỘI – The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, in coordination with the Office of the ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN) in Việt Nam and relevant units, held a ceremony on October 14 to launch the ASEAN Eco-Schools Việt Nam Award 2024.

Representatives from nearly 100 schools in Hà Nội attended the event in person, while those from over 200 schools across the country joined online.

The award winners will be selected based on three criteria that include their action plan and specific programme on environmental protection; curriculum and main and extracurricular activities on the environment; and environmental protection facilities and activities in the community. Entries must be submitted by November 10, 2024, at www.ecoschool.vn, and also sent to ecoschoolsvietnam@gmail.com.

The ASEAN Eco-Schools Award is one of the activities under the framework of the ASOEN assigned to each country to organise. The winning schools will be honoured on the sidelines of the ASOEN Conference or the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment.

Held every four years, the award is presented to outstanding primary and secondary schools in ASEAN member countries to recognise those with best practices in the green school programme and to encourage the participation of other schools in implementing green initiatives. The first ASEAN Eco-Schools Award was held in Malaysia in July 2012.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Lê Công Thành emphasised that students play an especially important role in environmental protection. They not only carry out specific actions in their daily lives to protect the environment but also help spread the message of environmental protection to family, friends and the community, becoming positive role models who encourage adults to think and act for the environment. VNS