SLP Penabur wins quiz contest

JAKARTA (JP): A team of students from privately-owned SLP Penabur junior high school beat 80 other teams competing in the English Quiz competition on Wednesday.

They were followed by rival teams from SLP Bellarminus, also a private school, and state SLP Negeri 29.

Organized jointly by the Ministry of National Education along with the BBC International English Course at the Sahid Jaya Hotel here, the quiz was held in accordance with an exhibition at the same venue entitled Non-Formal Education Program Year 2000.

"We are astounded by the fact that many students are anxious to join the English quiz. The participants were so packed we had to turn down some of them," said Suharsono, chairman of the Indonesian Association of Non-Formal Education (Hipki) and director of the BBC International English Course.

The winners received trophies from the Minister of National Education Yahya Muhaimin plus scholarship funding ranging from Rp 250,000 to Rp 450,000 each.

On the occasion of Wednesday's finals, the National Education Ministry also pronounced the BBC International English Course as the country's best training course of the year.

"Last year, the winner was the LIA (Lembaga Indonesia Amerika) English Course," Suharsono said. (edt)