The pupils of SK Putrajaya Presint 11(1) had developed the Helpie app aimed at supporting the mental wellbeing of students, enabling their school to beat 2,300 others in the region.

The idea to develop Helpie came about after a survey by the school’s counsellors found that 34% of the pupils from Year 1 to 6 “always felt stressed”, while 47% struggled to identify their emotions.

Many of the pupils were concerned about their homework while others were stressed about their relationship with peers, even fearing isolation at school.

The app seeks to help students understand their emotions and stress levels through games, a health survey as well as a stress measurement tool.

Teacher Saharudin Setapa, who led the project to develop the app, expressed hope that Helpie would go on to have some impact nationwide and even globally in promoting better mental health among students.

“We hope we can use this project to foster healthier living and a better lifestyle among our community and our school.

“I would like to thank our headmistress Norzah Kassim, the teachers, parents and students who contributed to the Helpie app project. Also, thanks to my innovation team who spent a lot of time prototyping the app,” he said, according to a press release.

AIA’s “healthiest schools” competition was founded by the insurance group last year, awarding schools that make significant efforts to transform student health.

The winner of this year’s edition was announced in Bali, Indonesia.