Mathematics
Five students from Kenyan schools will represent the country at one of the world’s most prestigious Mathematics tournaments at the United Kingdom.
Cynthia Kathomi Mworia, Kenya High, Master Gilbert Ongoro, Alliance High School and Tony Rotich Odhiambo from Light Academy, Nairobi. Other participants include Nairobi School`s Alfred Githui Muriu and Lenny Muriungi Mutuma from Oloolaiser High School in Kajiado County respectively.
The five, will participate in the 65th edition of International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), a World Championship Mathematics Competition for High School students that is held annually on rotational basis in different countries.
This year’s event will be held from July11, 2024 to July22, 2024 at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom and will have participants from over 100 countries from North America, Europe and Asia, with countries like Canada, USA, China, India, and South Korea represented.
Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa’s (CEMASTEA’s) Deputy Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Coordinator Martin Mungai also indicated that the participants were selected from a pool of 8,000 students who successfully participated in the 2023 and 2024 Kenya Mathematics Olympiad (KMO) contests.
Besides he said, Master Tony Rotich will also proceed to the prestigious MIT for undergraduate studies on full scholarship. The Deputy STEM coordinator indicated that the students have been tested in various topics, including Algebra, Geometrics, Calculus, number theory, combinatorics, and advanced problem-solving techniques and will bag gold medals for the country.
He was speaking during the flagging off ceremony at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Sunday. Mungai explained that the 5 students were best overall in this year’s Kenya Mathematics Olympiad that is organised annually from 2022 by CEMASTEA in partnership with the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing from the University of Waterloo Canada and the University of Nairobi.
He regretted that Nyang`ori High School `s Elvis Obulemire Atsulu who also qualified for the contest will not participate for lacking a United Kingdom Visa. Mungai stated that the contest will offer Kenyan participants the rare opportunity to interact with some of the world’s ace mathematicians.
“Participating in such an event is a thought provoking, challenging and motivating experience. It not only raises the students’ profiles for future career advancement but could also be an advantage for those aiming to join Ivy League universities such as Harvard,” he stated.
The students commended CEMASTEA and partners for the initiative saying it will help build morale and capacity of students in Mathematics. They said their eyes are trained on the Gold medals for Kenya after the gruesome contest. At least 112 Countries have registered their participation in the contest.
In the Second edition of the East African Mathematical Olympiad that was organised by the Uganda Mathematical Society and took place on April 24, 2024 had 24 Kenyan students had participating.
During the first round of Kenya Mathematics Olympiad which was held in May this year, 258 students from form 1 and 2 countrywide were selected in the junior category after attaining the 116 cutoff points in a 60 minutes’ mathematics examination.
Another 504 form 3 and 4 students were selected in the senior category whose cutoff mark was 120 points. Mungai stated that the annual competition is tailored to improve performance and promoting excellence in Mathematics among high school students in the country.
He noted that that the idea is to create a group of critical thinkers who are able to apply their classroom knowledge when solving real life problems. “Generally, we are looking into the learners’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills. We give them questions that have real life application so that they can think mathematically,” he said.
“At the end of the day, we have a learner who doesn’t have a disconnect between the real world and what they are doing in the classroom,” added Mr Mungai. The students qualify for the second round of the contest if they successfully participate in the first round, before gunning for the third round of the Kenya mathematical Olympiad.
The CEMASTEA official said the contest has boosted students’ ability to solve mathematical problems using critical thinking.
Mungai also pointed out that CEMASTEA, the University of Nairobi (UoN), and the Centre for Mathematics and Computing (CEMC), in a joint partnership, are advocating for improved performance in Mathematics in Kenyan schools, particularly using problem-solving strategies.
“Mathematical problem-solving methods concentrate on teaching students how to use mathematical ideas and critical thinking abilities to solve real-world situations, and this approach promotes a better grasp of the topic and enables students to comprehend the practical importance of mathematics,” he added.
During the competitions, students are barred from using books, notes, calculators or any other computational aids. “I want more girls to be part of this because the competition is not just about mathematics. It’s also a learning experience that helps one build their self- esteem and confidence,” Mungai added.
He also pointed that for vision 2030 to be achieved mathematics and science must be put on the frontline in schools.
“Mathematics will enable the students and the world at large to solve complex challenges they face daily by use of mathematics. We want to ensure students love mathematics and appreciate it as any other course or subject in school. These contests will enable our students and teachers alike to boost their critical thinking,” noted the trainer.
The first of the International Mathematical Olympiads (IMOs) was held in Romania in 1959. The oldest of the International Science Olympiads, the IMO has since been held annually, except in 1980. That year, the competition initially planned to be held in Mongolia was cancelled due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
The Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) is an annual prestigious event of the African Mathematics Union (AMU) organised each year, since 1987, in an African Country where the best pupils in mathematics of secondary education who are less than twenty (20) years old, are invited to compete. Kenya has hosted PAMO twice in 1991 and 2018.