20 August 2021
Alliance Bank AEIOU Financial Literacy Challenge Season 6 draws over 58,000 submissions.
Press Release
Comic Challenge and e-Game Challenge champions Ata bin Abd Aziz, 11, from Kuala Lumpur and Ryan Wong Kee Hui, 9, from Sarawak walk away with RM8,000 in cash prizes
Kuala Lumpur, 20 August 2021 – A total of 40 students aged between 9 and 12 from 9 states across the nation battled it out using their financial knowledge in the virtual grand finale of AEIOU Challenge, a financial literacy programme organised by Alliance Bank Malaysia Berhad (“Alliance Bank” or the “Bank”).
The finalists were shortlisted from over 58,000 submissions in both the AEIOU Financial Comic Strip Challenge (“Comic Challenge”) and AEIOU Financial e-Game Challenge (“e-Game Challenge”). Schools from all the states in Malaysia participated in the sixth season of the Bank’s financial literacy initiative which was conducted digitally.
Ata bin Abd Aziz, 11, from SJK (C) Lee Rubber, Kuala Lumpur emerged as the champion of the Comic Challenge, where he took home RM5,000 cash, a trophy, Faber-Castell hamper and a certificate of achievement. Ryan Wong Kee Hui, 9, from SJK (C) Chung Hua Miri, Sarawak was named the champion of the e-Game Challenge, and received RM3,000 cash, a trophy, Faber-Castell hamper as well as a certificate of achievement.
The first runner-up and second runner-up of the Comic Challenge walked away with RM3,000 and RM1,000 cash prizes respectively, trophies, Faber-Castell hampers as well as certificates of achievement. For the e-Game Challenge category, the first runner-up and second runner-up received RM2,000 and RM1,000 cash prizes respectively, including Faber-Castell hampers and certificates of achievement (see Appendix A for the full list of the winners).
SJK (C) Chung Hua Krokop from Sarawak was recognised for having the highest number of submissions at over 5,000 for a combination of the Comic Challenge and e-Game Challenge categories. The school was awarded with RM3,000 for its school development fund.
This year, the AEIOU Challenge also introduced the Faber-Castell Special Award to encourage schoolchildren to display their talent on social media as well as the Limkokwing Creativity Award to encourage learning through games.
The winner of the Faber-Castell Special Award also went to Ata bin Abd Aziz, 11, from SJK (C) Lee Rubber, Kuala Lumpur where he took home a Faber-Castell product hamper worth RM400 and a certificate of achievement. The Limkokwing Creativity Award went to Mithiran a/l Poovarasan, 12, from SK Air Merah, Kedah who received RM500 cash prize, a trophy as well as a certificate of achievement.
The prize-giving ceremony was held virtually and officiated by En. Abdul Hadi bin Abdul Rahman, Chief Assistant Director, Sports, Co-Curricular and Arts Division, Ministry of Education Malaysia. In attendance were the 40 finalists from participating schools who vied for a share of more than RM30,000 cash prize pool and their teachers.
En. Rizal IL-Ehzan Fadil Azim, CEO, Alliance Islamic Bank and En. Abdul Hadi bin Abdul Rahman, Chief Assistant Director, Sports, Co-Curricular and Arts Division, Ministry of Education Malaysia together with the winners of the AEIOU Challenge Season 6 Comic Challenge and Financial e-Game Challenge.
Alliance Islamic Bank’s Chief Executive Officer, En. Rizal IL-Ehzan Fadil Azim said, “Our aim of the AEIOU Challenge has always been to inculcate smart money habits in our young. While these unprecedented times have brought many challenges, Alliance Bank remained committed to providing financial education lessons by pivoting online. It was heartening to see our young participants eagerly putting their financial knowledge to the test, despite the exceptional circumstances we live in.”
Themed “Saving for A Rainy Day: Preparation During A Crisis”, this year’s AEIOU Challenge expanded its footprint by reaching over 30,000 children nationwide. Since its launch in 2015, AEIOU Challenge has reached more than 130,000 children in its efforts to inculcate smart financial literacy skills among schoolchildren aged 9 to 12.
To strengthen its financial education component, the AEIOU Challenge incorporates Train-the-Trainers (TTT) sessions for teachers. This year, the TTT extended its reach to 615 schools, an increase of approximately 48.2% from the previous AEIOU Challenge. The Bank empowered the participating teachers through these virtual sessions by equipping them with financial education, to enable them to inculcate good money habits in the students.
Alliance Bank will retain the e-Game Challenge on its corporate website, alongside other digitised educational materials related to the AEIOU Challenge, even after this season’s programme has ended. This will provide educators and students with the materials and opportunity to continue learning about good money management.
With the strong support of the Ministry of Education and backing of Bank Negara Malaysia, the AEIOU Challenge is affiliated with BNM’s Financial Education Network (FEN). The programme is also supported by Faber-Castell, Limkokwing University of Creative Technology and SmartStudy. It embodies the public-private partnership approach to successfully deliver a programme that benefits communities.
AEIOU Challenge supports the nation’s aspiration to have financially sound citizens by elevating the level of financial literacy among Malaysians. The programme also aligns with the National Strategy for Financial Literacy 2019-2023, by championing its strategic goals of instilling positive financial management skills and forming responsible financial behaviour from young.
Watch the AEIOU Challenge Season 6 Awards Ceremony via https://bit.ly/AEIOUChallenge6AwardsCeremony.TFor more information on Alliance Bank’s AEIOU Challenge, please visit www.alliancebank.com.my/aeiou.