Pretoria – High school students from over 100 countries will test their acumen in the 55th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) at the University of Cape Town (UCT).
The Olympiad -- hosted in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) -- will run from 3 – 13 July.
This is the first IMO to be held on African soil, and it will be launched by Basic Education Minister Angelina Motshekga this morning. It is historically the privilege of developed countries to host the event.
The Olympiad started in Romania in 1959, with seven countries taking part. Today, more than 100 countries participate, representing over 90% of the world's population.
The IMO is the oldest, biggest and most prestigious of all the international science Olympiads. It is a problem-solving contest for high school students, and is perceived as the “World Cup of Mathematics”.
The event is endorsed by the DBE and the Department of Science and Technology. This year’s edition is presented by the SAMF.
“DBE is excited to be a part of this prestigious event that brings the brightest young minds around the world together to solve some of the toughest mathematics problems,” DBE said. – SAnews.gov.za
