Latest news with #AEIOUfor
The Star
3 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Young ecopreneurs make Sabah proud
SK St. Catherine is the champion of the inaugural Sabah Biodiversity Challenge – the highlight of Alliance Bank's AEIOU Financial Literacy Programme, with SK St. Anthony and SK St. Agnes coming in second and third, respectively. The Kota Kinabalu pupils, aged nine to 12, received cash prizes amounting to RM9,000, trophies, medals and certificates of achievement for their efforts. Good job: Sum and Deputy Sabah State Treasurer (Development) Hamdan Hamzani with the winners. A total of 128 primary school pupils from 17 schools across Kota Kinabalu, Penampang and Tuaran participated in the event. The finalists successfully demonstrated their knowledge while playing the 'Eco Heroes' board game, where their creativity, understanding of money management and sustainability awareness were put to the test. Carrying the theme of 'AEIOU for Responsible Living: Smarter Finances, Caring for Nature, Greener Choices', the biodiversity module of the programme was delivered in collaboration with renowned conservationist Dr Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots Malaysia – a global youth-based environmental and humanitarian programme – and supported by the Sabah State Treasury Department and the Education Ministry. The programme, held from July 5 to 26, was conducted through practical workshops and interactive simulations that provided pupils with the opportunity to explore the field of environmentally friendly entrepreneurship, or ecopreneurship. Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh, who officiated the prize-giving ceremony, said the overwhelming response from the pupils and the encouraging number of participants is proof that the message of nature conservation has truly touched their hearts. 'As the saying goes, 'As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.' 'It is important for us to provide knowledge and awareness about the importance of preserving biodiversity from a young age so that they can become responsible environmental stewards in the future,' he added. Alliance Bank chief strategy and transformation officer Dr Aaron Sum said he felt confident that the programme would help pupils realise that their daily activities and decisions have an impact on the environment and through this understanding, they will be able to develop a responsible attitude towards the environment. 'I am very proud of all the pupils who participated in the AEIOU Sabah Biodiversity Challenge and hope that what they have learnt will be put into practice and shared with other friends and family,' he said. The AEIOU programme, which was launched in 2015, is recognised by the Education Ministry and supported by Bank Negara Malaysia, based on the concept of fostering financial skills among young Malaysians. Since its inception, the programme has reached over 180,000 primary school pupils through its seven editions. The programme also provides community outreach, ensuring that all children have access to financial education resources. Pupils can continue their financial learning journey through the AEIOU mobile app, which provides financial education videos and digital comics.
Barnama
23-06-2025
- Business
- Barnama
Alliance Bank Partners Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots For Financial Literacy & Biodiversity Challenge Programme
From left: Alliance Bank's Head of Group Marketing & Branding, Shayne Koh, Alliance Bank's Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer, Dr. Aaron Sum, Roots & Shoots Malaysia President, T.P Lim and Roots & Shoots Malaysia Head of Education and Outreach, Peter Ong. Credit : Alliance Bank KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 (Bernama) -- Alliance Bank Malaysia Berhad (Alliance Bank) and Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots Malaysia, a youth-led action programme, will collaborate on financial literacy and biodiversity awareness for schoolchildren over the next two years. According to a joint statement, the partnership, formalised today with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two parties, would begin with the 2025 AEIOU Financial Literacy and Biodiversity Programme in Sabah. The transformative initiative aims to nurture young leaders with practical money management skills and ecological awareness, and under the theme 'AEIOU for Responsible Living: Smarter Finances, Caring for Nature, Greener Choices', the programme would engage 160 pupils from 20 schools in Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, and Tuaran. 'The programme will be conducted through an immersive blend of physical and virtual workshops, project-based learning, and interactive simulations,' the statement read. Alliance Bank Group Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Dr Aaron Sum, was quoted in the statement as saying that, 'By teaching schoolchildren to make smart financial choices while understanding their impact on the environment, we're shaping a generation that's not just money-wise but planet-wise too'. Meanwhile, Roots & Shoots Malaysia President T.P. Lim said Roots & Shoots Malaysia had worked closely with local NGOs and corporate partners in Malaysia to co-create programmes for young people that connect the head to the heart, leading to long-term behavioural change, for the past ten years. 'In this unique collaboration, we are excited to work with the talented team from Alliance Bank and thrilled to have biodiversity knowledge being introduced to young school children in such a fun and engaging way,' he said. According to the statement, AEIOU, a flagship CSR programme by Alliance Bank, was first introduced in 2015 and had engaged over 150,000 primary school children over the span of seven editions, offering financial literacy workshops, biodiversity game simulation, and 'Biodiversity Challenge'. The use of comic storytelling, virtual currency, and eco-preneurship simulations further enhances engagement, making learning both meaningful and memorable.
