Culture & Education | Friday 31 July, 2015 3:54 am |

Four Saudi secondary students including a young woman from the Eastern Province have received prestigious medals at the 47th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), which concluded in Azerbaijan last week.
The winners of the four bronze medals were Omar bin Fawaz Arafat, Saad bin Fahd Al-Bawardi, Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed Al-Ali, all from the Riyadh education region, and Fatima Musa bint Bakhamseen, from the Eastern education region.
Making the announcement on Thursday, Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Vice President of the King Abdul Aziz and his Companions Foundation for the Gifted and Creative, or “Mawhiba", described the performance of the students as a great victory and honor for Saudi Arabia.
He said that the performance of these students also strengthens the intellectual renaissance in the Kingdom under the able leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. The governor said the performance of the students had brought out the inherent talents of the students and displayed the creativity of the Saudi students.
He also took the opportunity to thank Education Minister Azzam Al-Dakhil, for his continuous efforts to enhance the level of education among students which would eventually lead to a knowledge-based society.
Saudi Arabia participated for the first time in ICHo held in Germany in 2006. Last year, Saudi students won three medals in the event held in Vietnam. 
The 47th International Chemistry Olympiad was organized by Baku Branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University. This international knowledge competition gathered 300 young chemists from five continents and 75 countries, as well as over 250 chemists, the jury, experts, professors, supervisors, and team leaders.
The experimental exam was held on July 23, and the theoretical one took place on July 25. Participants of the competition tried their level of knowledge in the classes and laboratories of Baku Branch of Moscow State University.
In carrying out each test, the students were required to solve a number of tasks in five hours. Teams from 75 countries worked on issues that required original and non-standard approaches. The participants from around the world who came to Baku to take part in the competition enjoyed the rich material and technical base of the Baku Branch of Moscow State University, as well as its laboratories, modern equipment and devices that meet the latest technology standard.
According to the rules, the theoretical exam was worth 60 points, while 40 points were given for work in the lab. The International Jury comprised two representatives of each participating country who discussed and evaluated the answers of the participants. The results were announced at the closing ceremony of the Olympiad on July 28.
The teaching staff of Baku Branch of Moscow State University strictly conducted this great and important event on the daily basis under the supervision of President of the 47th Chemistry Olympiad, Rector of Baku Branch of Moscow State University Nargiz Pashayeva.