International Olympiad awards presented in Delhi

The 16th annual International Olympiad Awards were presented here Sunday to winning students, teachers and principals from across Asia, officials said.

Organised by NGO Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) here, the awards felicitated the winners of the four Olympiad examinations conducted by SOF for the academic year 2012-13, in which around 30 lakh students from 25,000 schools in 1,150 cities around Asia participated.

Awards were given to the top three rank holders from classes one to twelve.

Winners from Classes 7 to 12 won Rs.50,000 each, those who came second got Rs.25,000 each, and prize money of Rs.10,000 was awarded to the third rank holders.

Winners from Classes one to six were awarded iPads.

In addition, the top 10 principals and top 40 teachers whose students put up an excellent performance were also felicitated with cash awards, mementos and citations. The total prize value was approximately Rs.8 crore.

Former Chief Justice of India R.C. Lahoti, in his speech on the occasion, stressed that the most important resource the nation has is its intellectual potential, which is not only inexhaustible but will multiply and obtain new qualities when properly used. He added that it is also among the most reliable guarantees for dynamic economic development.

Mahabir Singh, founder and executive director of SOF, which is the largest conductor of Olympiads in Asia, said: "Around 24,000 students from 1,050 cities across India and 14 countries have been awarded for achieving top state-level ranks. In addition, close to 3.5 lakh students were awarded for achieving top ranks in their respective schools."