Eco-Schools Award marks a nationwide green journey

On the morning of January 31 in Hanoi, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment held the ASEAN Eco-Schools Viet Nam 2025 Award Ceremony - Plastic-Free Schools.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Le Cong Thanh speaks at the award ceremony. Photo: Tung Dinh.

Schools at the center of long-term action

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Le Cong Thanh affirmed that the award is an important initiative within the framework of ASEAN environmental cooperation, contributing to the promotion of environmental education and the development of green, sustainable school models across the region. The award is implemented under the cooperation framework of the ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN), reflecting the strong commitment of ASEAN member states, including Viet Nam, to sustainable development goals.

Emphasizing the 2025 theme “Plastic-Free Schools,” the Deputy Minister noted that this is a timely theme that directly addresses one of today’s most pressing environmental challenges. Plastic waste is no longer solely an environmental issue but a shared community responsibility that requires the participation of society as a whole, particularly younger generations.

Placing schools, teachers, and students at the center of action reflects a long-term vision, as education and early behavioral change are key to building a green and sustainable future.

Providing an overview of implementation results, the Deputy Minister said the 2025 award attracted active participation from a wide range of educational institutions nationwide. Based on objective and transparent assessments by the Jury, the Organizing Committee decided to present 60 awards to 60 schools across three education levels, primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary, covering all categories from First Prize to Innovation Prize. Award-winning schools are distributed across all regions, including mountainous areas, midlands, deltas, coastal and island areas, the Central Highlands, and the Mekong Delta.

According to the Deputy Minister, these results demonstrate the strong outreach of the “Eco-Schools – Plastic-Free Schools” model, its broad acceptance among educational institutions, and the inclusiveness, human-centered values, and long-term sustainability embodied in the award.

Investing in green education for a sustainable future

At the ceremony, Le Thai Ha, Director of the Green Future Fund, shared her honor in attending the event and described it as a meaningful milestone in the journey to transform environmental education into practical, lasting change in schools.

She said the Organizing Committee received nearly 300 submissions from schools nationwide, indicating that environmental education is becoming a priority and that many schools are implementing the “plastic-free” model in a serious and substantive manner, closely linked to changes in daily habits and school culture among students, teachers, and parents.

The Fund’s representative was also impressed by the award’s media impact, with coverage by more than 30 central and local media outlets, producing around 40 news stories and reaching nearly 1.2 million views, reads, and listens. She noted that these figures are not merely statistics but signals that society is paying attention and ready to act together.

Le Thai Ha highlighted the value of experience-sharing and model-learning activities. Study visits organized for participating schools to Viet My Can Tho School and Genesis Lower Secondary School in Hanoi, the First Prize winners of the 2024 award, helped turn the concept of an “eco-school” into a concrete, visible model that can be learned from and replicated.

According to her, the Green Future Fund’s partnership with the award is not only about providing resources but also about sharing a common vision: investing in green education is a long-term investment in the country’s future, where students not only acquire knowledge but also develop awareness and responsibility toward the environment, the community, and future generations.

Expanding the green education network in a new phase

Nguyen Ngoc Thach, Editor-in-Chief of Vietnam Agriculture and Nature News, said that 2025 marks a special milestone as the newspaper assumes, for the first time, the role of Chair of the ASEAN Working Group on Environmental Education, while also serving as the organizing body for environmental education initiatives, including the ASEAN Eco-Schools Viet Nam 2025 Award - Plastic-Free Schools.

This role is not only an honor but also a major responsibility, requiring careful preparation and innovative approaches to ensure long-term engagement with schools, teachers, and students nationwide.

Over more than three months of implementation, the award evolved into a connected journey involving three forums, workshops, and training sessions across the northern, central, and southern regions, engaging over 50,000 teachers and students both in person and online, alongside millions of interactions across media and communication platforms.

Editor-in-Chief Nguyen Ngoc Thach emphasized that today’s ceremony welcomed more than 800 in-person participants, including over 600 students from 16 representative educational institutions and delegates from all 60 award-winning schools. The students brought not only green models and initiatives but also a strong sense of responsibility and confidence in a sustainable future. Students, he stressed, are the central actors and true drivers of the eco-school journey and the vision of a plastic-free society.

Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh and delegates visit the exhibition booth of Truong Cong Giai Lower Secondary School (Hanoi), a Third Prize winner of the ASEAN Eco-Schools Viet Nam 2025 Award. Photo: Tung Dinh.

According to Nguyen Ngoc Thach, practical implementation has shown that environmental education has deep outreach and long-lasting impact. Through the eco-school model, the program helps shape students’ mindsets, attitudes, and green living behaviors from an early age, laying the foundation for a future generation of environmentally responsible citizens.

He also noted that during the 2025–2028 period, Viet Nam will serve as Chair of the ASEAN Working Group on Environmental Education. In this role, Vietnam Agriculture and Nature News will coordinate with the International Cooperation Department (ICD) and ASEAN member states to organize workshops, expert consultations, and regional exchanges.