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| 2004 Media release |
South African learners to participate in Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) 2004
Participants in the Olympiad: (back) Lindsay Hans (Grade 12: Kasselsvlei Senior Secondary School), Ralf Kistner (Paul Roos Gymnasium), (front)
Divya Babu (Grade 12: Ixopo High School) and Yumna Moosa (Grade 11: Wynberg Girls' High School). |
19 August 2004
Four of South Africa's top mathematics learners, two of whom are girls, will compete with the best of their counterparts from across Africa in the Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) 2004.
Lindsay Hans (Grade 12: Kasselsvlei Senior Secondary School), Divya Babu (Grade 12: Ixopo High School), Yumna Moosa (Grade 11: Wynberg Girls' High School) and Ralf Kistner (Paul Roos Gymnasium) will participate in the Olympiad which takes place in Tunis from 24 August to 2 September 2004. The team was chosen after an 18-month Mathematical Talent Search run throughout the country by Old Mutual in collaboration with the Mathematics Department at the University of Cape Town.
The South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA), a business unit of the National Research Foundation (NRF) has sponsored the South African team's participation in PAMO 2004. As part of the sponsorship, an intensive three-day training session for the team will be held from 19 -22 August 2004 at the University of Pretoria. SAASTA's sponsorship has also enabled additional learners from Zimbabwe to participate in the training session where experts including Dr Mark Saul from the USA, will tutor the PAMO participants. Dr Saul, Project Director for the National Science Foundation in the USA, has extensive experience with mathematical competitions and Olympiads in the USA and internationally and takes a keen interest in developing mathematics Olympiads in Africa.
"The exposure of our young learners to the PAMO environment, which is highly competitive, represents a step forward for the development of mathematics in South Africa," says SAASTA Executive Director, Beverley Damonse. "We are proud to be associated with the team that is participating in this prestigious Olympiad, and more especially, that girl learners are represented on the national team as well," added Damonse. SAASTA has sponsored the South African team's participation in PAMO since 2001.
Damonse emphasized that SAASTA's sponsorship of the SA team was a gesture of support for the objectives of the PAMO, namely to:
- detect youthful talent in mathematics
- encourage, develop and reward African youth
- establish friendly relations between African mathematicians
- exchange information on curricula and teaching methods in mathematics across the African continent.
South Africa's performance in PAMO has improved significantly over the past few years. In 2003, the South African team won overall first place, claiming one gold, two silver and one bronze medal as well as awards for the top student and the top girl participant.
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