Indonesia Wins First Place at Japan ESD Award

RRI.CO.ID, Tokyo — Indonesia won first place at the 2025 Japan Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Award, represented by Al Huda Boarding School in Tuban, East Java, in a competition involving 141 schools from 10 Southeast Asian countries. The school received the award for its MANGU Project, an environmental education and disaster resilience program that combines science, religious values, and local wisdom.

The initiative was developed to address environmental challenges in Tuban, including illegal logging, flooding, and marine pollution, while strengthening disaster preparedness in local communities. The Japan ESD Award is organized by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in cooperation with the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO).

The program aims to strengthen the implementation of education for sustainable development in schools and communities across Southeast Asia and Japan. Indonesian Ambassador to Japan Nurmala Kartini P. Sjahrir praised Al Huda Boarding School’s achievement during a meeting with the school’s students and teachers at the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday, 29 September 2026.

“Congratulations to the students of Al Huda Boarding School, Tuban, on their achievement. I hope the knowledge and experience they have gained can be dedicated to serving the wider community,” Kartini said in a statement issued by the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo and received in Jakarta on Tuesday, 29 September 2026.

She said the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo would continue to support Indonesian students participating in international competitions in Japan. Meanwhile, Al Huda student Singa Arsyada Wisanggeni Aly said the experience in Japan provided valuable lessons on disaster management, leadership, and ethics.

“We participated in several activities in Japan to learn, particularly about natural disaster management. As we know, Japan has very strong capabilities in managing natural disasters,” he said.

The Al Huda delegation visited Tohoku University and several schools in Fukushima to learn from Japan’s experience in dealing with disasters, including lessons from the 2011 tsunami. The lessons are expected to strengthen disaster preparedness practices at the school.

The Japan ESD Award has been held annually since 2012 for primary and secondary schools in SEAMEO member countries. The award also serves as a platform for knowledge exchange and networking among schools in Southeast Asia and Japan. The second-place award went to a school from Vietnam, while third place was awarded to a school from the Philippines.