Up to 7,000 candidates appear for Maths Olympiad held at six exam centres in federal capital
Contrary to the traditional view that students hate the Maths most, a large number (age group 16-20 years) turned at the six centres set up in the federal capital to participate in the Pakistan Mathematics Olympiad (PMO) that was held simultaneously across the country and abroad on Sunday.
The contest was open to students of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) or O-Level and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) or A-Level, or equivalent programmes.
The exciting contest was held not only in Pakistan (66 centres including Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, AJK, GB, Hafizabad, Sargodha, Quetta, Faisalabad etc) but also in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2 centres) and Kuwait (1 centre) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The initiative was a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Federal Education and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
One could see an overwhelming number of girls from not only the private schools like Bahria College, Beaconhouse, Roots, LGS and others but also from the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE)-run model schools and colleges appearing for the contest.
This is quite reassuring and morale-boosting to see these kids coming for the 3-hour test, said Federal Secretary for Education, Mohyuddin Ahmed Wani who was visiting one of the six centres, IMCB I-8/3. Chairman Federal Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education (FBISE) and DG FDE, Syed JunaidAkhlaq, Deputy Secretary AmmaraNasim, Director Colleges, ShahidAbbasi, principals and senior officials of the Federal Board and the FDE were also present.
At the IMCB I-8/3 centre alone more than 170 students, boys and girls, participated for the contest, it was further told. Briefing the media Mirza Ali, Director of the PMO, said in Islamabad alone, six centres were set keeping in view the number of registered students, namely IMCB I-8/3, IMCB G-7/4, ICB G-6/3, IMCB G-10/4, H-8 Commerce College and H-9 Post-graduate College.
At all these centres up to 7,000 are appearing in the PMO, he said adding not only in Islamabad, several centres are set up in the twin city Rawalpindi for this purpose, said Ali.
MrWani while talking to media on the occasion, said the test has been held with a view to generating interest for Maths among the students that ultimately leads to critical thinking and problem-solving approach. It also helps a lot in data analysis, AI, IT and Computer and Accountancy in the coming years, he said.
Wani was happy that a large number of students from the FDE schools located in Islamabad’s rural areas were appearing for the test. They include Tarnol, ThandaPani and BharaKahu. This shows that our labour is paying and the students of the government sector schools and colleges are not less-talented than their counterparts in the private schools, he said and informed that in last year, more than 5,000 students have switched over to the FDE schools from the private institutions. The examination paper has been prepared by the LUMS and results of the mega activity will be shared with the policy makers, provincial and federal ministries and the position holders will be presented with the cash prizes, laptops and various incentives that include scholarships for admission to the top universities.
The participants will have the opportunity to showcase their math skills on a national platform, Wani said.
