Teacher honored for formula

SEMARANG: Elementary school teacher Sugeng has been presented with the Central Java-Yogyakarta 2000 Television Journalist Figure (IJTI) Award for inventing the "magical" square mathematics formula.

He was among the 16 people awarded on Friday for their commitment and dedication in the educational and cultural field.

According to the Award's committee chief, Meizon Triyanto, the figures were also chosen for their sincerity and modesty.

"Most of them are just regular persons who are out of the reach of publicity," he said, as quoted by Antara.

Among the award winners were Trimanto for his work in preserving the traditional gamelan instrument, Dahlan Salim Zarkasyi who invented the method of fast Koran reading, and Rahmat Mitrohardjono who sponsored 150 scholarships for children in his village of Juwiring, Klaten, Central Java.

IJTI also handed out awards for several institutions like the Indonesian Records Museum (MURI), the traditional jamu herbal museum of Nyonya Meneer, Indonesian Soroban's foundation of Mental Arithmetics, all located in Semarang, and Yogyakarta's Bioanthropology and Palaeoanthropology Laboratory. (09)