TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A team of elementary school students from Indonesia managed to win the second runner up position at the Po Leung Kuk 20th Primary Mathematics World Contest (PMWC). In the individual category, Indonesian students Axel Giovanni Hartanto and Luthfi Bima Putra won bronze medals.

“These achievements prove that Indonesian students have the same qualities with students from other countries, including those from the developed countries,” Indonesian Team leader Raden Ridwan Hasan Saputra said on Thursday, July 20.

According to Ridwan, his team would have won gold medals should they have enough time to prepare. Ridwan revealed that he had two weeks to prepare for the competition.

The PMWC was held in Hong Kong on July 16-20 and attended by primary school students from the United States, Bulgaria, Australia, South Africa, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Mongolia, Thailand, Philippine, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Indonesia.

Indonesia was represented by a team from the Center of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education (KPM) based in Bogor, West Java.

The Indonesian team consisted of Lutfhi Bima Putra from a public Islamic school in Jakarta, Aditya Ilham Khairullah Seger from an Islamic elementary school Al Azhar 13 in Jakarta, Haidar Prayata Wirasana from Al Azhar 12 in Cikarang, and Axel Giovani Hartanto from Pangudi Luhur Santo Timotius elementary in Surakarta.

Ridwan revealed that the KPM always elementary school and junior high school students to participate in several international mathematics contest in a year.

UWD