The South African Mathematics Foundation aims to advance the mathematics education of the youth
From the 3rd
until the 13th of july the 55th International
Mathematical Olympiad was held at UCT. 103 countries were participating and 5
of the 6 members of the South African team came from Cape Town.
On that
occasion today we had an interview with Prof. Johan Engelbracht who is Executive
Director of The South African Mathematics Foundation.
The South
African Mathematics Foundation was founded ten years ago, when Johan
Engelbracht and his co-founders realized that it was not going well enough with
mathematics in the country. According to him, although we definitely have made
a lot of progress, we still have a long way to travel.
Engelbracht
points out, that to raise interest in mathematics, we have to raise the status
of mathematics as a viable career option. And we have to let go of the
perception that mathematics is boring and only meant for gifted people. Mathematics
is a great and fascinating subject. It can be difficult but if you spend some time
practicing eventually understanding will arrive.
If you like
mathematics, there are a number of good careers. For instance engineering,
accounting, finance, medicine, biology, and of course teaching.
Of course
you also have the opportunity of applying for The International Mathematical
Olympiad (IMO). This world championship competition for high school students is
held annually in different countries.
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