RIYADH: About 31,000 students have taken part in the first phase of the Mawhiba Kangaroo Maths Competition 2022 in 黑料社区, which concludes next week on March 21.
The final round of the competition, organized by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, will take place virtually on March 25 and 26.
Badr Al-Majrathi, manager of the competitions department at Mawhiba, said: 鈥淲ith its global momentum, Mawhiba opens the door to participation for all students in the Kingdom, and aims to encourage students to deepen and master their knowledge of mathematics, thus developing their mathematics skills and ability to solve mathematical problems.鈥
He told Arab News that the competition helps to promote passion for mathematics among students, assist them in applying mathematics to life activities, and reinforce the importance of a mathematical education.
Al-Majrathi said that Kangaroo competition is part of Mawhiba鈥檚 event program to discover and develop the performance of talented people. 鈥淭he quality of the questions included in the competition are of a special nature in terms of linking mathematics to various life activities,鈥 he added.
Since its inception in the Kingdom in 2016, the competition has attracted about 190,000 students. This year, the competition saw 5,638 students hailing from the Eastern Province, which provided the most participants out of any of the Kingdom鈥檚 regions.
Hashem Al-Shaikhy, a professor of mathematics at King Faisal University, said that the Kangaroo competition 鈥渋s of real importance, as it is a wonderful and distinguished competition in mathematics.
鈥淭he questions of the competition require mathematical knowledge, of course, but it requires more high mathematical thinking skills, as its questions are characterized by difficulty, particularly those with higher grades.鈥
He added: 鈥淕iven the high level of questions on the one hand, and their importance and role in developing students鈥 mathematical thinking and thinking skills in general on the other hand, we support students participating in this competition, particularly those who show signs of excellence in mathematics.
Al-Shaikhy, who is also an expert in mathematics competitions in the Middle East, added: 鈥淕iven the low average score in the international Kangaroo tests, which is due to the level of its difficult questions, and in order not to frustrate students when they get low scores in them, it is very important for students to understand that they will get many benefits from taking exams at such a high level and that any score they get indicates a great distinction, which should be rewarded.鈥
Saleh Al-Mofadhali, a mathematics teacher, urged schools and mathematics teachers in particular to organize training courses for students before letting them take part in maths competitions. Courses should help students solve exercises, develop arithmetic skills and reach solutions to mathematical problems through critical thinking, he added.
Al-Mofadhali, who has spent about 20 years teaching mathematics to students of various ages, stressed the importance of the mathematics competition in developing students鈥 thinking skills, discovering talented people, working to develop talents and directing them towards specializations that fit their skills.
He said that the role of the school and the math teacher is centered on 鈥渨orking together to overcome the difficulties and fear of mathematics among students,鈥 so as to make mathematics popular with students through competitions and linking mathematics lessons with sports and other games.
He warned that schools should avoid 鈥渕aking students rigid,鈥 adding: 鈥淟earning math should not be restricted to homework and doing explanations on the blackboard.鈥
Al-Mofadhali said that organizing competitions motivates students to raise their skills and pay attention to mathematics, because of its importance in the development of sciences and other knowledge.
鈥淚t is critical to thoroughly train the student in order to memorize the multiplication table, in addition to training the student to solve problems that focus on higher-order thinking skills and enhancing the student鈥檚 self-confidence,鈥 he added.
Bandar Mamdouh, a member of the Student Association for Mathematical Sciences, also stressed the importance of boosting students鈥 self-esteem, and how mathematics competition and other educational competitions help toward that goal by 鈥渋ncreasing the student鈥檚 level of knowledge through training and practice.鈥
He said scientific competitions create a sense of competition among school communities, and that 鈥渟chool administrations, teachers and parents work together to motivate students, and provide them with assistance to enter the competition and do their best to excel.鈥
Mamdouh added that scientific competitions have a positive impact on the educational system because they inspire students to learn, create and innovate.
