Best Schools Are No Longer Measured by Academic Achievement

JAKARTA - So far, many people may think that academic achievement is one of the main measures in assessing the quality of a school. In fact, more than that, the achievement of grades, achievements in competitions, to the success of students continuing their education to the next level often become a picture of how superior an educational institution is.

Schools are increasingly required to not only produce students who are academically superior, but also individuals who are able to understand the surrounding issues, have concern for society and the environment, and are able to turn the knowledge they have into real actions.

This change in perspective is reflected in the implementation of the Brands For Good Awards 2026. Working with the Singapore International Mastery Contests Center (SIMCC) and the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), the event introduces the EDU FOR GOOD category as a form of appreciation for schools that are able to provide quality education while providing a sustainable social and environmental impact.

Around 110 brands from more than 25 countries participated in the Brands For Good Awards 2026. The award then reached its peak in the awarding night titled "Together For Good" at D'Marquee @ Downtown East, Singapore.

The assessment not only considers the organization's achievements, but also includes leadership, organizational excellence, brand impact, as well as social and environmental contributions.

This perspective is reflected in the journey of BINUS SCHOOL Simprug which won the Champion title in the EDU FOR GOOD category. This award is a recognition of the school's commitment to building a learning experience that connects academic achievement with concern and real action.

This approach is instilled from the Primary Years Programme (PYP). In the learning process, students are not only invited to conduct an inquiry or investigation, but also understand how the results of the investigation can be translated into responsible action. In this way, students learn to see the relationship between the knowledge they obtain with the problems that occur in society.

The experience then developed through various initiatives involving students. One of them is NAVCANE, an artificial intelligence-based navigation aid developed by Serena and Meagan after they identified the accessibility issues faced by the blind.

The idea shows how the learning process can evolve into innovation when students are given the opportunity to connect knowledge with real needs. The selection of NAVCANE in the IB Global Youth Action Fund also shows that initiatives that start from the school environment can have the potential to develop further.

The impact of education does not always stop when students complete their school years. Alumni journeys such as Brandon Limbono show how the values, cross-disciplinary thinking skills, and leadership capacity developed during school can continue to be brought into the professional world.

Through this experience, education can have an influence on how a person makes decisions, leads, innovates, and sees his or her role in the community.

Then the process of building awareness through learning is also visible in the PYP Exhibition (PYPX). For 25 weeks, 5th grade students worked in nine groups to study various real issues, ranging from poverty and housing, deforestation, food waste, clean energy, to marine pollution.

From the investigation process, the students then designed various forms of action. Some of them are activities to teach English to students from communities with limited access to education, building solar-powered charging stations, planting vegetables, processing food waste into compost, to planting trees and mangroves.

What is important from this process is not merely the number of activities carried out, but how students learn to understand the problem before determining the action. They are encouraged to look at a problem more holistically, then design an appropriate response based on the understanding obtained.

A similar approach can also be seen in efforts to expand access to early childhood education in Sumba. When Sumber Kasih PAUD faced limitations on classroom space and learning facilities, as many as 11 BINUS SCHOOL Simprug students worked with Happy Hearts Indonesia to rebuild two classrooms while providing sanitation facilities, learning materials, and an open play area.

The project also has an environmental dimension by reusing about 2.2 tons of plastic waste. This initiative is part of a program that has supported more than 140 children in two PAUD institutions.

Various experiences show that education has an impact that does not always have to be translated into large-scale social activities. The essence lies in the ability of schools to create a learning process that makes students understand the surrounding environment, have empathy for the problems faced by others, and then use their knowledge and skills to generate change.

The best school predicate today can have a broader meaning. Academic excellence remains important as a foundation, but the quality of education is also reflected in the character of students, their ability to think critically, the courage to take the initiative, and the readiness to contribute outside the school environment.

Recognition as the EDU FOR GOOD category Champion in the Brands For Good Awards 2026 is part of the journey to continue strengthening that approach for BINUS SCHOOL Simprug.

Schools view education as a process that does not stop at academic achievement, but continues in how the knowledge and character that is built during school can be used to present wider benefits.

"The achievement of the Champion title at the Brands For Good Awards 2026 encourages us to continue to work together with students, teachers, parents, and alumni in creating meaningful and sustainable impact,"

"We believe that education is about shaping future leaders who not only have a concern for society and the environment, but are also equipped with knowledge, confidence, and the ability to turn this concern into action and positive change wherever they are," said Aaron Wise, Head of BINUS SCHOOL Simprug.