The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), the competitions' organizer, gave the awards to successful students in a medal ceremony held at the Ministry of Education in Ankara on Wednesday evening.
The Olympiads covered the subjects of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and computers. Private science high schools stood out in the awards ceremony. A total of 23 gold medals were given to students from İzmir's private Yamanlar Science High School, whose students were among the winners at both the National Science Olympiad and the National Mathematics Olympiad; 18 gold medals went to students from İstanbul's private Fatih Science High School; and 17 gold medals were presented to students of the private Samanyolu Science High School in Ankara during the ceremony.
Other high schools whose students received gold medals were the İstanbul High School, the private Bahçeşehir Science and Technology High School, the private Çağlayan Murat Science High School, the private Kahramankent Science High School and the private Şehzade Mehmet Anadolu High School.
Giving a speech at the award ceremony, Science, Industry and Technology Minister Nihat Ergün said more valuable prizes should be awarded to students who succeed in the national or international science competitions. Noting that athletes who succeed in international and national sporting events are awarded large amounts of money or gold as incentives to train for more success, Ergün said individuals who succeed in science competitions should also be encouraged with more valuable prizes. “A weightlifter who wins in international competition is given 2,000 Cumhuriyet Altını (Republic Gold Coins) as a prize [which corresponds to TL 1,364,000,000], but an individual who wins in a science competition is awarded TL 10,000 or TL 20,000. I wonder whether a champion weightlifter or a successful scientist will contribute more to the future of society? We should reconsider what we give prominence to,” Ergün commented.
TÜBİTAK Chairman Yücel Altunbaşak, who also spoke during the ceremony, said Turkish students have the ability to even win a Nobel science prize and added that the scholarship award for students who succeed in the International Science Olympiad will be doubled. “The amount of the scholarship will be increased from TL 500 to TL 1,000,” she said.
Published on Today's Zaman, 29 November 2012, Thursday
