School maths boffs to take on continent’s best
TWO high school maths stars will be representing South Africa at the 26th Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (Pamo) in Nairobi, Kenya, next month.
Grade 10 pupil Kgaogelo Bopape, 15, and Grade 12 learner Malwande Nkonyane, 17, who attend Horizon International High School in Turffontein, Johannesburg, will for the second time be part of a team of six representing the country at the olympiad in Kenya.
Twelve countries will participate, including Ghana and Botswana.
The pair were selected by the SA Mathematics Foundation as the top pupils in the final round of the 2017 SA Maths Olympiad and other programmes organised by the foundation.
“I was surprised… I didn’t think I’d make it,” said Kgaogelo. “I didn’t think I did so well, but I somehow made it into the team. I thought my marks were low, but it turned out that it wasn’t so.”
Horizon High School’s head of maths, Hüseyin Akinci, said Pamo aimed to uplift the level of maths on the continent.
“It’s a good challenge and it gives us another dimension, because our learners participate in as many international olympiads as possible,” he said.
The contestants will complete two question papers, covering algebra, geometry, number theory and combinatorics.
“This opportunity will prepare me for university, and it opens a lot of doors for scholarships, not only here, but all over the world. It’s an international olympiad,” Kgaogelo said.
Malwande said that when he was done with his university studies, olympiads would help him solve real-life problems rather than textbook problems.
“I think that type of thinking will help me a lot,” he said.
Akinci said he could not be more proud.
“We are thrilled that beyond the school curriculum we have a chance to teach our learners something else and motivate even ourselves,” he said. “We are very proud of them.”
Kgaogelo and Malwande were both in last year’s South African Pamo team and won the bronze medal.
Kgaogelo plans to study computer science, while Malwande has applied for actuarial science and computer science at Wits University.