2021 ICho : Indonesian students bag four medals

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian students have won four medals at the 2021 International Chemistry Olympiad (ICho) held from July 23 to August 2, 2021.

Acting head of the National Achievement Center (Puspresnas) at the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry, Asep Sukmayadi, said that he was proud of the hard work done by the Indonesian team at the international event, which has been held since 1968.

"Hopefully, Indonesia will continue to excel in this event in future," he said in a written statement here on Wednesday.

The Indonesian team comprised four students -- Faatih Regind Qashash Roman (Semarang 3 Public Senior High School), who won a silver medal; and, Kevin Lius Bong (Petra 1 Christian Senior High School Surabaya), Hanif Muhammad Zhafran (Public Aliyah Madrasah Insan Cendekia Serpong) and Nathanael Reza Putra Widjaja (Yakobus Senior High School Jakarta), each of whom secured a bronze medal, he informed.

“The team was accompanied by three mentors from Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB)-- Dr. Deana Wahyuningrum (head mentor), Dr. Fainan Failamani (mentor), and Dr. Irma Mulyani (scientific observer),” Sukmayadi said.

Seventy-nine countries participated in the event, he added.

Due to the pandemic, the participants took a remote exam on Wednesday (July 28, 2021) from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Western Indonesian Time. The exam was conducted in four different locations, Bandung, Semarang, Jakarta, and Surabaya, according to the participants' domicile, he informed.

Therefore, four invigilators were appointed for the exam -- Azis Adharis, PhD., from Pertamina University (Jakarta), Dr. Arie Hardian from General Achmad Yani University (Bandung), Damar Nurwahyu Bima, SSi. MSi., from Diponegoro University (Semarang), and Fatiha Khairunnisa, SSi. MSi., from Airlangga University (Surabaya), he added. (*)