TOFI: pride of the nation

Last Friday in Maverick sharing session, we were delighted to the company of two lovely young ladies, Lidya and Nouva, as the PR of the Indonesian Physics Olympiads Team (TOFI).

First, let’s get one thing straight because as it might be a name of a team, TOFI is also an NGO. The NGO is pioneered by Yohanes Surya, Agus Ananda, Roy Sembel and Joko Saputro thirteen years ago. But the most important of all, this NGO has realized the importance of PR in delivering their mission to make physics as a fun and easy subject.

Well most of us, by now, may have already known that our beloved country has oftentimes triumphs the International Physics Olympics (IPhO). Yes, thanks to some of our mass media concerns and TOFI’s PR team, of course. But have any one of us known how these gifted teens managed participate in such Olympics in the first place?

For a start, every year TOFI together with the National Education Ministry is searching for the national best physics students through a series of competitions. The first test is in the regency level where students have to compete to be the provincial winners. These winners of the provincial selections then compete for a place to represent their Provinces in the National Science Olympics (OSN). OSN nests national champions who will compete for the best eight and become members of TOFI. Ultimately, these best eight will compete in the Asian Physics Olympics (APhO) and the International Physics Olympics.

If you think this is the end, you’re wrong. As TOFI members, these high school students will undertake training carried out in TOFI Center in BSD City, Tangerang for months – which everyone enjoys very much. :)