Uganda shines at Pan African mathematics contest

Jun 23, 2009

UGANDA came out shining at the recently-concluded Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) in South Africa, as its representatives to the prestigious event won a silver medal.

By Vision reporter

UGANDA came out shining at the recently-concluded Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) in South Africa, as its representatives to the prestigious event won a silver medal.

Marvin Ntege, a former student of St. Mary’s College Kisubi and Daphne Basangwa from Mt. St. Mary’s College Namagunga were among the top performers in a contest that brought together 57 top young mathematicians from 13 African countries.

PAMO is an annual event organised by the African Mathematical Union, an organisation dedicated to the development of mathematics in Africa.

The event aims at encouraging talent and exchange of information on curricula and teaching methods in mathematics. The contest was held in Pretoria from April 19 to 26, 2009.

PAMO brings together the best mathematics students under the age of 20 years to compete by sitting two four-and-a-half-hour exams.

“The exam seeks to test students’ ability to think critically and logically and to solve problems,” says Jasper Okello, the publicity officer for the Uganda Mathematics Society (UMS), the body that prepared Uganda’s representatives.

To qualify for PAMO, Ntege and Basangwa beat over 1,000 students at the 2008 National Mathematics Contest, an annual contest organised by UMS for mathematics students at primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

“Meeting with good mathematicians from other countries was a nice experience; I learnt a lot and understood just how much we need to do to become better,” Ntege says.

Uganda’s participation and success is a result of the collaborative efforts of parents and teachers of the two participants and UMS.

Founded in 1969/70 by Prof. Paul Mugambi and his colleagues, UMS has been at the forefront of promoting mathematics through its activities.
This includes organising annual mathematics contests for schools and institutions.

The association also organises conferences and training workshops where mathematicians and educators meet to share ideas.

Over the years, the organisation has grown to include over 5,000 members including teachers, students, maths users and 250 schools and institutions.

This collaborative effort has boosted interest in mathematics at different levels. But UMS is yet to realise significant support from the Government, corporate bodies and policy makers.

Currently, the organisation relies on support from its members and financial contributions from well-wishers such as Bank of Uganda and the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga.

“We would like to work closely with the education ministry as well as the National Curriculum Development Centre in formulating policies to promote mathematics,” says Dr. John Mango, the UMS chairman.

For all the achievements, a lot remains to be done to promote mathematics and produce more Basangwas and Nteges.

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