MANILA — Three public schools from the Philippines have been shortlisted in a global education award for initiatives that improved their students' health and the development of their communities.

Bonuan Buquig National High School (Dagupan City, Pangasinan), G.L. David Memorial Integrated School (Balanga, Bataan), and Malitbog National High School (Calinog, Iloilo) were named finalists in the World's Best School Prize under the environmental action, community collaboration, and supporting healthy lives categories, respectively.

The inaugural World's Best School Prize was organized by T4 Education, a digital media platform that allows educators to collaborate and share good practices.

The award has 5 categories, which also includes best school prize for innovation and overcoming adversity, though no Philippine school made it to the list for these 2 groupings.

"By telling the stories of inspirational schools that are transforming the lives of their students and making a real difference to their communities, schools can share their best practices and help transform education," T4 Education founder and CEO Vikas Pota said at the announcement of the shortlisted schools last Thursday.

According to T4, Bonuan Buquig National High School was selected for the environmental action category for its mangrove-planting project.

After Typhoon Pepeng flooded Dagupan City in 2009, the local government dredged rivers, which unintentionally killed mangroves and affected marine life.

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The school mobilized "over a hundred volunteers" to plant thousands of mangrove propagules each year.

"As a result, the mangroves along the Longos river banks are nearly rehabilitated and stabilized," T4 said on its website.

The school also initiated a coastal cleanup in 2014 to clear the shorelines of Bonuan Beach.

G.L. David Memorial Integrated School was picked for the community collaboration category, mainly for its "Kain Pa" project that provided daily free meals to its students, many of whom were considered malnourished.

"The initiative procures vegetables, fruits and other goods from government officials, NGOs (non-government organizations) and parents who buy ingredients from the market and sometimes help cook the meals themselves," T4 said.

The project saw malnutrition rates fall to 2.13 percent in 2020 from 12.11 percent in the previous year.

Malitbog National High School was shortlisted in the supporting healthy lives category for implementing the Happy and Healthy School Program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program sought "to promote physical, mental, and social health" among students, most of whom fall below the poverty line and were malnourished.

Projects and activities under the program include "home gardening, home-based wellness, advocating a healthy diet, clean water and sanitation, and mental health advocacy."

The school also raised P2 million to fund the purchase of disinfectants, printers and paper for remote learning, at a time when most parents were skeptical to send their kids to school as the government veered away from traditional in-person classes due to the pandemic.

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Pota said the top 3 finalists for each category would be revealed in September and the winners would be named during World Education Week in October.

"The winner of each prize will be chosen based upon rigorous criteria by a judging academy which includes distinguished leaders all across the globe, including academics, educators, NGO leaders, social entrepreneurs, government leaders, civil society activists and from the private sector too," Pota explained.

Each winning school will receive $50,000, he added.

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