KUALA TERENGGANU — Two teachers at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Manir have developed a digital application, the Sihat, Aktif Manirian (SAM) programme, to encourage healthy living among pupils following growing concern over the increasing number of overweight children and their consumption of sugary food and drinks.
The initiative has earned SK Manir the AIA Outstanding Active Lifestyles Award 2026, worth US$15,000 (RM61,000), at the Asia Pacific-level AIA Healthiest Schools Competition held in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 8.
The application was developed in early January by Science teacher Zuraidah Hassim, 45, and English teacher Najjah Salaamah Jusoh, 37, after the school found that some pupils were physically inactive, frequently consumed sugary food and drinks, and did not consistently practise a healthy lifestyle.
Zuraidah said the school had introduced various initiatives, including aerobics sessions, installing water dispensers to encourage pupils to drink plain water, promoting the consumption of prebiotic drinks, and working with health clinics to educate pupils on healthy eating.
“However, we did not want these practices to stop at school. We wanted the healthy lifestyle culture to continue at home as well.
So, Najjah Salaamah and I developed the SAM application as a platform to educate pupils while recording their daily healthy lifestyle habits,” she told Bernama when met at the school here today.
She said the application was developed using Canva Code, a platform that generates web-based applications, and is currently used internally by the school.
Through the application, pupils record their daily intake of plain water and healthy food, as well as the duration of their physical activities.
“To encourage participation, we incorporated gamification elements. Pupils who achieve certain targets receive badges such as ‘Water King’, ‘Nutrition King’ and ‘Active Hero’.
We emphasise honesty because the application’s main objective is to educate pupils to adopt healthy lifestyle practices until they become part of their daily routine,” she said.
Zuraidah said the application currently involves about 300 Year Four, Five and Six pupils, while supporting programmes such as aerobics sessions, nutrition talks and the consumption of prebiotic drinks involve all pupils and teachers at the school.
She said most pupils access the application using their parents’ smartphones via a link provided by the school, making parental involvement crucial as they help monitor their children’s records and provide healthier meals at home.
“Although specific data on weight reduction is still being compiled, the school has observed a marked improvement in pupils’ awareness of the importance of healthy eating, drinking plain water and engaging in physical activity.
“Feedback from parents has also been very positive. They have informed us that their children are now drinking more plain water, consuming fewer sugary drinks and making healthier food choices,” she said.
She added that the school planned to develop the application into a mobile app that would be available on the Google Play Store in future to broaden its usage.
Meanwhile, Najjah Salaamah said that since the application was introduced earlier this year, most pupils had shown positive changes in terms of physical fitness, healthier food and drink choices, and more active participation in sports.
“Among the most significant improvements has been the pupils’ sporting achievements. This year, SK Manir pupils won the gold medal in the boys’ under-11 100m event and the bronze medal in the under-12 category.
The school’s football and handball teams have also recorded better performances than in previous years.
“This success shows that pupils are now fitter, more energetic and have greater stamina as a result of the healthy lifestyle promoted through this application,” she said, adding that the application was not only aimed at pupils with weight issues but also sought to instil healthy living among all pupils.
Najjah Salaamah said that during the initial implementation of the programme, pupils recorded their food intake and physical activities manually before the data was transferred into the application.
She said pupils were encouraged to update their records at home each evening using their parents’ mobile phones, enabling them to reflect on their eating habits and daily activities before going to bed.
“The application also enables teachers to monitor pupils’ participation through data such as rankings and badge achievements, while recognition is given every one or two months to the most active pupils.
“The response to the application has been very encouraging, even though its use is not compulsory and some pupils face constraints such as limited access to smartphones or the internet.
Even pupils who do not use the application continue to practise the healthy routines introduced at school, demonstrating that the programme’s objective has been achieved,” she said.
On the school’s plans after winning the US$15,000 cash prize, she said it intended to further enhance the SAM application by introducing more gamification elements and health education content to improve its effectiveness.
Najjah Salaamah said the school also hoped the application could be expanded to other schools and local communities through collaboration with various agencies, including the Health Ministry.
She hoped that the SAM application would continue to be strengthened so that it could become a platform benefiting more schools and communities in efforts to nurture a healthier generation.
