Jakarta, Indonesia Herald - Entering the month of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia (RI), brilliant achievements continue to be made by Indonesian students at the international level. This time, the Indonesian Economics Olympiad Team managed to bring home two silver medals and two bronze medals at the International Economics Olympiad (IEO) held in Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, from July 22 to 31, 2024.
The two silver medals were won by Nazla Filia Adzkia Taqiya from SMAS Pribadi Bandung and Andrew Pratama Kho from SMAS Kristen 6 Penabur. The bronze medals were won by Nathanael Pradipta from SMAN 47 Jakarta and Gilbert Liean Wu from SMAS Darma Yudha Pekanbaru. Meanwhile, Karen Rianika Tanuwijaya from BPK Penabur Christian High School Gading Serpong has no chance to win a medal.
"We are proud of your achievements and hard work. Indonesia has got the best people for the future of the nation," said the Head of the National Achievement Center (Puspresnas), Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbudristek), Maria Veronica Irene Herdjiono, in a written statement received by InfoPublik, Monday (5/8/2024).
Irene also appreciated the role of coaches, schools, and parents who participated in supporting students in developing their talents. "Thank you to the coaches for their support and guidance to the younger siblings so that they can make achievements in IEO. Schools and parents who have been extraordinary in supporting and accompanying their children in identifying their children's talents," explained Irene.
Before representing Indonesia at the IEO, the students were the winners of the National Science Olympiad (OSN) in the field of economics in 2023 who first followed three stages of selection and coaching from the National Achievement Center.
During the competition, the five students were accompanied by the Coaching Team, Dwi Wulandari from State University of Malang (UM) and Taufikur Rahman from Gadjah Mada University (UGM).
IEO Coordinator, Dwi Wulandari, said that the students will have to compete with 53 teams from 52 countries at IEO 2024. "This year's IEO participants are the most from previous years. There are 53 teams from 52 countries competing. With the hot weather conditions, the students went through the competition with high spirits and very well," said Dwi Wulandari.
"There are several things that are different this year. For this year there is a slight change in the competition, namely financial literacy is no longer in the form of games but in the form of theory and questions as well as in the form of practice. Our record at this year's IEO is breaking into the business case final for the first time," added Dwi Wulandari.
The struggle of the Indonesian Economics Olympiad Team was not easy, they had to go through three series of competitions, namely, 1) Economics in the form of multiple choice and open questions, 2) Financial literacy in the form of theory and questions, and 3) Business case in the form of group presentations.
According to one of the IEO silver medalists, Nazla Filia Adzkia Taqiya, a student of SMAS Pribadi Bandung, in the previous year she had failed to represent Indonesia at the IEO event. However, thanks to her hard work, she finally made it through the selection and coaching to become Indonesia's representative and won a silver medal at IEO 2024.
"In 2023 I only reached the second stage of IEO coaching. I tried again because last year I got another OSN bronze medal. Alhamdulillah, after participating in coaching and selection again, I was able to represent Indonesia and won the silver medal at the IEO," Nazla explained.
For her, the principle is that once you have started something, it's okay to repeat it again but don't stop in the middle of the journey. "My journey is very long because it cannot be separated from the support of Puspresnas, schools, parents, and friends," added Nazla.
IEO bronze medalist, Nathanael Pradipta from SMAN 47 Jakarta, feels grateful to be able to present achievements and gain new experiences at the IEO event. "Honestly, I feel very happy to be able to compete at the international level. Hopefully this can enrich my experience and that of my friends in achieving in the future," said Nathanael.
IEO is an annual competition for high school students around the world in economics designed to inspire creative problem-solving skills in students interested in economics, business and finance.