Young Latvians competed in eight international science olympiads from May to August of this year. They faced their peers from the rest of the world in philosophy, physics, mathematics, biology, chemistry, economics, geography and informatics olympiads. President Levits thanked the pupils and their teachers and remarked that although population of Latvia constitutes only 0.003 % of the global population, so many of our youngsters have shown excellent results in international olympiads.
Address of the President of Latvia, Egils Levits, to the participants of international science olympiads
Riga Castle
Dear friends,
Dear teachers,
Congratulations on the Teachers’ Day! We have all been moulded by the ‘hands’ of our teachers. Without them we would not be able to live. If it were not for them ‘kneading us like the dough', I do not know what we would have become. You can of course judge yourself what we have become but I think that we are doing just fine.
However, it is pupils who give teachers’ work the meaning. Teachers and pupils are two sides of the same coin. Let me also congratulate all pupils with Teachers’ Day, as well, because teachers work depends on pupils whom they ‘sprinkle’ with knowledge.
Our pupils have shown the world how advanced and competitive they are. Competitive not only at the Baltic or European level, which usually is our yardstick. They compete against the whole world. That is excellent! Of those who competed in mathematics and geography olympiads, who of you knows what percentage of global population Latvians constitute? - 0.003 % of the global population. We have won a whole set of medals and that, of course, is way more than Latvia was meant to probably win based on statistics.
So, it is an outstanding achievement for both the pupils who competed and their teachers who mentored them. It is an achievement of the whole education system of Latvia, which usually gets a lot of criticism. If Latvian education system is capable of producing such talent, our youngsters who can compete at international olympiad level and achieve excellent results, we have to recognise the system’s ability to deliver educational outputs. So, congratulations to all teachers and pupils, and the whole education system! I hope you will not become complacent and rest on the laurels, thinking that you have achieved good level and no further reforms are needed. Nevertheless, we must appreciate the global achievements that we have made.
I am very happy and proud of all the pupils and teachers who have achieved great results. Results that are not accidental. Results that are achieved because of their brilliant minds. I am happy about the ability of our education system to produce such exceptional results. Let me wish all of you, who took part in those olympiads, good luck in your future endeavours – in school, outside school and after the school. Thank you and congratulations!