VP opens Asian Physics Olympiad

VP opens Asian Physics Olympiad

PEKANBARU, Riau: A total of 120 senior high school students from
19 countries participated in the sixth Asian Physics Olympiad,
which was opened here on Tuesday by Vice President Jusuf Kalla
(not by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as reported earlier).

The week-long event ending on May 2 is being held at the
campus of the Riau Politeknik University.

The organizing committee said that certain nations had not
sent teams due to concerns over security and natural disasters.

The vice president said in his opening speech that the physics
olympiad should serve as an encouragement for Indonesian students
to learn more about science, particularly physics, so that
Indonesia could catch up with other countries in this particular
field.

He also criticized teachers and school masters who are more
interested in pushing students to achieve passing grades rather
than focusing on quality education. -- Antara