Latest news with #MathematicsOlympiad
News24
a day ago
- Science
- News24
SA's brightest minds bring home gold medals from Pan African Mathematics Olympiad
The Olympiad is more than a competition, it's an opportunity to grow through mathematics. Maths trains pupils with problem-solving skills to boost the country's economy. The SA Mathematics Foundation said the pupils' commitment embodies their goal to strengthen maths education. South Africa has emerged as the most accomplished nation at this year's Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (Pamo) held at the University of Botswana. The Olympiad ran from 8 to 18 June. The six-member team that attended the Olympiad delivered an outstanding performance, bagging six medals – one for each participant. The annual event has been held since 1987. It falls under the auspices of the African Mathematical Union. This year's Olympiad brought together the brightest young minds, who were challenged to solve six complex problems across four mathematical disciplines – algebra, geometry, number theory and combinatorics. Professor Seithuthi Moshokoa, the executive director of the SA Mathematics Foundation (SAMF), told City Press: Olympiad mathematics is designed to challenge how one approaches problem-solving and analytical thinking. It is different from the mathematics taught at schools. Professor Seithuthi Moshokoa In the search for the thought-provoking problems, El Manar, the associate professor of mathematics at the University of Tunis, and Professor Karam Aloui, the executive secretary of the Pamo committee, said the problems committee compiled a list of potential mathematical problems, from which a jury shortlisted 12. 'The supervising committee selected the final six problems, ensuring that each covered key areas of pre-university mathematics without adhering to a fixed syllabus. This aims to challenge creativity and rigorous reasoning in equal measure,' Aloui explained. The medals were awarded in a 1:2:3 ratio for gold, silver and bronze and the leading female scorer received the title African Mathematics Queen. Team SA led in the competition and secured medals for their exceptional performance, as Erik Senekal, a Grade 11 pupil at Hoërskool Menlopark, James Prins (Grade 12, SA College High School) and Noah Greenblatt (Grade 11, King David High School) were awarded gold medals. Silver was bagged by Olivia Castleden (Grade 9, Somerset College) and Ruth Trimble (Grade 11, Pinelands High School), while WanRu Zhou (Grade 11, Parklands College) earned a bronze medal. Countries were ranked by the combined scores of their six contestants. SA claimed the top spot, followed by Tunisia and Ivory Coast, in second and third place, respectively. I am very proud of Team SA's achievements. Their dedication, resilience and innovative thinking exemplify our mission to nurture mathematical talent and empower our educators and learners. Moshokoa Senekal said writing the maths Olympiad was not just to compete, but a chance to learn and grow through the process. 'I have been someone who likes to be challenged. Someone who likes to solve problems and find solutions. This is why I have participated in mathematical Olympiads every year since Grade 1. Always see an opportunity to learn – approach each problem as a chance to discover something new.' Greenblatt said he was inspired to compete in the Olympiad because of his interest in mathematics from a young age. He also wanted to extend himself in every way he could. Enjoying this exploration was not only fulfilling but also strengthened my creativity and problem-solving ability. Overall, it was in striving to grow my talents and interest. According to Moshokoa, the pupils, coaches and mentors, teachers and parents all contributed to the team's success. The pupils worked incredibly hard to get this far, and SAMF is delighted that their hard work paid off. Moshokoa He said that the preparation for international mathematics competitions in SA started in primary school. SAMF programmes linked to international participation for high school pupils SA Mathematics Challenge for primary school pupils Old Mutual SA Mathematics Olympiad (Samo) Mathematics Problem-Solving course for primary and high school teachers Samo Olympiad Training Programme 'Teachers are trained to prepare pupils for Olympiad mathematics from an early age and each year more than 200 000 primary and high school pupils enter the first round, with only the top few advancing to the finals. Most international candidates have been doing advanced maths since primary school. 'Once the top 200 primary school pupils reach high school, they are often invited by SAMF to participate in the Samo Olympiad Training Programme. This programme consists of two training camps per year, as well as 11 weeks of intense training,' Moshokoa said. He added that the selection of international participation was based on their academic performance in the programme. Moshokoa emphasised that mathematics Olympiads and similar advanced mathematics competitions played a crucial role for individuals and the country. They prepared pupils to contribute to the country's economy through advanced problem-solving and analytical skills.
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Science
- The Citizen
SA pupils grab first place at Pan African Mathematics Olympiad
Members of South Africa's team also claimed claimed top individual medals at the maths olympiad. South Africa's team of six pupils impressed at the Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) this year. The event was hosted by the Mathematical Association of Botswana at the University of Botswana. The South African team claimed top individual medals and the overall first-place. This year's competition focused on testing the young minds across six problems. These included algebra, geometry, number theory and combinatorics. SA bags gold, silver and bronze at maths olympiad Countries were ranked by the combined scores of their six contestants. South Africa claimed first place, followed by Tunisia and Côte d'Ivoire. Team South Africa excelled with three gold medalists. They were Erik Senekal (Grade 11, Hoërskool Menlopark), James Prins (Grade 12, South African College High School) and Noah Greenblatt (Grade 11, King David High School). Silver medals were claimed by Olivia Castleden (Grade 9, Somerset College) and Ruth Trimble (Grade 11, Pinelands High School), while WanRu Zhou (Grade 11, Parklands College) took home bonze. In the Girls' Division of the Math Olympiad, Ruth Trimble earned gold. Olivia Castleden took silver and WanRu Zhou got bronze. Prof Seithuthi Moshokoa, Executive Director of the South African Mathematics Foundation, said: 'I am very proud of Team South Africa's achievements. Their dedication, resilience and innovative thinking exemplify our mission to nurture mathematical talent and empower our educators and learners.' ALSO READ: Not adding up: More than 400 schools don't teach Mathematics How it works The award ceremony on 17 June was opened by Professor Karam Aloui, the Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Tunis EI Manar and Executive Secretary of the PAMO committee. 'Our aim is to challenge creativity and rigorous reasoning in equal measure,' Prof Aloui said. Wise words from the winning team Three members of the South African team shared encouraging advice to students who want to take part in the Mathematics Olympiad. Olivia Castleden: 'To people who want to participate in the maths olympiad, I suggest that they just go for it. By just writing the first round, they have already gained valuable experience, even if they don't progress to the next round.' Erik Senekal: 'Always see an opportunity to learn – approach each problem as a chance to discover something new. Write the math olympiad not just to compete, but also to learn and grow through the process.' Noah Greenblatt: 'Curiosity can be very powerful. I encourage young learners to explore ideas and concepts in which they show interest to the fullest extent. Enjoying this exploration is not only fulfilling but can also strengthen creativity and problem-solving ability. Additionally, there is truly no substitute for hard work when it comes to improvement.'
The Guardian
06-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
The longest division: can Palestinian and Israeli students compete at the International Maths Olympiad?
For six Palestinian teenagers, it could be a 'life-changing opportunity'. The youngsters have been selected for the International Mathematics Olympiad, to be held on Australia's Sunshine Coast in July, but it is unclear whether they will be able to leave Gaza and the West Bank to take part. At the same time the IMO faces calls to suspend Israel's membership and allow its students to compete solely as private entrants. National teams around the world are in training camps for the trip to Australia, being coached by academics as they prepare to compete for medals – and the ticket such prizes offer to just about any university in the world. The Palestine team leader, Samed AlHajajla, says the IMO should be the start of a journey towards a glittering career. 'Having a mind to solve these problems is incredibly rare,' AlHajajla says. 'They are the best in Palestine, they are the top students. Being an IMO competitor, it takes a lot of hard work and talent and gifts and, for them [in training for the IMO] they can exercise that, they can exercise some freedom inside the prison which is Gaza. 'For them [it should be] a life-changing opportunity where they can taste freedom for the first time.' The problem facing AlHajajla and his young Palestinians is logistical and political. Last year, four Palestinians – two from Gaza and two from the West Bank – were selected for the 2024 IMO in Bath, England, but were unable to take part. The closure of the Rafah crossing meant those in Gaza could not leave. Visas and passports for those in the West Bank were approved by British and Israeli authorities, but did not arrive in time. A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Australia says they are 'not aware of any evidence that Israel delayed or refused visas for the Palestinian team at the last IMO, nor do we have information suggesting this will occur now'. Mike Clapper is the interim chief executive of the Australian Mathematics Trust, which is organising the Sunshine Coast event. He says it is 'very much our hope' that the Palestinian team will be able to come in person. 'We are exploring all the avenues that we can to try to make it possible for the Palestinians to participate,' he says. Whether Palestinians can compete is only one part of the IMO's problem. The other is whether Israelis should be allowed to do so. On 6 May a letter signed by more than 700 mathematicians was issued to the IMO under the heading 'Mathematics and Moral Responsibility: the IMO and the Genocide in Gaza'. The letter calls on the IMO to do as it did when it suspended Russia's membership after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine – while allowing its six students to compete remotely as private individuals. Russia remains suspended. Signatories come from a diverse range of countries, universities and career stages: from Australia to Morocco to Switzerland; from Oxford to Stanford to the University of Carthage; from PhD researchers to associate professors to three winners of the Fields medal – the award often referred to as the Nobel prize of maths. The letter – seen by Guardian Australia – has not been published, to protect signatories from harassment. Among them is an Israeli, a former IMO medallist, who asked for their name to be withheld. 'I needed to think about it for a second because of the potential danger,' they say. 'If I would tell this to random people in the street it would be, I would not say controversial, it would be considered a clearcut treasonous thing to do.' But, they say: 'We see what is happening in Gaza: there's war crimes, there's starvation, the genocide. For me it is clearcut. It is the moral thing – it is the obligatory thing to do in this situation.' They hope the suspension of Israel would be a symbolic act that would help 'put a mirror in the face of the Israeli nation'and cause their compatriots to reflect on 'what direction this country is going'. The Israeli embassy in Canberra flatly rejected the call. 'The embassy strongly opposes any call to suspend Israel's IMO membership or to boycott its students,' its spokesperson said. 'Mathematics must remain apolitical and inclusive.' The Israeli signatory, like so many young mathematicians, says competing at the IMO was a 'transformative experience'. The first signatory of the letter is the research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, Ahmed Abbes. The son of a Tunisian high school maths teacher, he recalls the IMO as his 'making as a mathematician'. Abbes won a bronze medal at his first IMO in Canberra in 1988. The following year in Braunschweig, Germany, he won silver, rubbing shoulders and making lifelong connections with teenagers who would go on to become some of the world's most influential people. Ranked No 1 in the world in 1988, for the second year running, was Nicuşor Dan, who won a second consecutive gold medal with his second perfect score. In May, he emerged from Romania's political crisis as its new president. At that same IMO the Australian prime minister, Bob Hawke, presented a gold medal to an even younger prodigy, a 12-year-old Australian called Terence Tao. Tao remains the youngest ever IMO gold medallist and is now regarded by many as the greatest living mathematician. A more recent example of the IMO's power to transform lives is Ihor Pylaiev. Pylaiev was plucked from war-ravaged Kharkiv in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine to continue his studies in Paris. He won his second gold medal in Oslo, this time with a perfect score and the top world ranking. He is now studying at Cambridge on a scholarship with colleagues from the Ukrainian IMO team. Abbes, who led efforts to support Pylaiev and the Ukrainian students, says the mathematical community's response to the Russian invasion is another chapter in its proud history of standing up for human rights. 'When you accept that there are universal values, you just apply them, like you apply a mathematical theorem,' Abbes says. 'When you see clearly the double standard [in not applying the same lens to Israel], as a mathematician you cannot accept this.' The president of the IMO board, Gregor Dolinar, denies accusations of double standards. Since assuming the presidency in 2023, the Slovenian professor has overseen the incorporation of the IMO as an association, based in the Netherlands. 'I wanted to make things more formal, more professional,' Dolinar says. 'Now we have set up a government structure properly.' Dolinar says it is his 'strong belief' that important decisions such as suspending nations should be made not by his board, but by the IMO jury, which includes representatives from more than 100 states and territories. The jury, he says, will meet at the Sunshine Coast in July and could make the decision to suspend Israel then. 'Our primary goal is just focusing on [developing] young minds and, based on a very long tradition, doing a nice event,' Dolinar says. 'We really do want to avoid any political issues. We really do want to be apolitical. 'Our primary goal is to enable as many kids as possible to participate at the IMO.'
