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Have you ever thought that maths can be poetry?

“Maths is a poetry of logical ideas,” remarked Marie Solome Nassiwa Lubowa, the director of finance at Baylor College of Medicine, Uganda stated.

This was during the recent celebration of International Mathematics Day at Trinity College Nabbingo, which was sponsored by the Association of Women Mathematicians in Uganda (AWoM), Simplifi networks, Bugolobi and Uppsala Universität, Sweden.

“Maths is not about solving problems,” she said. “It is about shaping our minds,”.

For those finding mathematics a challenge, Prof Betty Nannyonga Kivumbi of Makerere University urged learners to work out a number every day.

To make it easier, the headmistress of the school, Immaculate Nassozi Lwanga urged the math scholars to break big aspects of the subject into smaller manageable solutions.

In that case, there was no reason for any girl to fail the subject. As the President of AWoM Nannyonga urged the young women to take the subject by the horns to enroll in competitive study programs leading to better employment in the world.

“This in turn helps them to afford better health care, have quality life, and hence a high life expectancy,” said the guest of honour, Ken Stober who is also the chief executive officer, of Simplifi Networks.

Proffesor Betty Nanyonga Kivumbi of Makerere University and President of AWoM with a student of Trinity College Nabbingo. (Photo by Maureen Nakatudde)

To do this, Nannyonga urged the students to talk, eat, play, and breathe mathematics daily.

Other than complaining that mathematics was hard, Luboowa advised students to optimally use the resources around them like the library and the teachers to understand the subject.

 For those students who were struggling with the subject, Lubowa called upon them to befriend their classmates who were excelling in it.

On the other hand, Stober remarked that by excelling in math, girls could challenge stereotypes and societal norms that often discourage female participation in other (STEM) subjects like science, technology, and engineering.

Most importantly, Stober explained the girls who were proficient in maths had improvement in their general health. “Girls who are good at mathematics are less likely to be involved in early marriages and hence have children at a younger age,” he noted.

Aside from that, when it came to having a family. Stober noted that such women always produced fewer children whom they could be able to look after hence reducing their family responsibility and enjoying their life in the end.