Cape Town - Team South Africa has clinched third place at the highly competitive Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (Pamo) in Rwanda.
The team, comprising six pupils with four from Western Cape schools, received five silver medals and one bronze.
They are Eli Williams and Ellen Grant-Smith of Westerford High School, Hugo Bruwer of Hoër Jongenskool Paarl, Moied Baleg of The Settlers High School, Jana Rossouw of Jim Fouché Hoërskool and Yian Xu of Redhill School.
They went up against participants from 31 countries during the competition which started on May 13 and came to an end on Monday.
Morocco took first place, followed by Algeria and team SA.
The South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) said it was thrilled that South Africa had achieved a remarkable third place in the highly competitive Pamo.
“The event, gathering the brightest mathematical minds from across Africa and our talented team of mathletes showcased their exceptional problem-solving skills, mathematical prowess and determination. Securing this splendid position reflects dedication, hard work and outstanding abilities. The South African national team made the nation proud with remarkable achievements in this esteemed international competition,” SAMF said.
SAMF also announced last week the team that would represent the country at the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) in Japan from July 2 to 13 this year.
SAMF executive director Professor Kerstin Jordaan said only the cream of the crop could be considered to represent the country at the international events.
“Last year, only 2.7% of learners who wrote the National Senior Certificate achieved a distinction in mathematics. Despite these systematic problems, we are collaborating with the government and our funders to be more strategic in identifying and developing mathematically talented youngsters.”
Cape Times