Schools can now register students for the Mathematics Olympiad

Municipal, state and federal public schools and private schools across the country have until March 17 to register students for the 18th Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP). Considered the biggest scientific competition in Brazil, it is promoted by the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) and brings together, every year, more than 18 million students from the 6th year of elementary school to the 3rd year of high school. Last year, there were 18.1 million students from 54,000 schools, reaching 99.78% of Brazilian municipalities. In an interview today (2) to Agência Brasil, the deputy director of IMPA and general coordinator of OBMEP, Claudio Landim, said that the great novelty of the event this year is the creation of regional medals. “We know the importance of these medals in encouraging the teaching of mathematics. Thus, we decided to increase the number of medals awarded to states, ”he revealed. In this way, the student will be competing for national medals but, at the same time, will participate in an internal dispute in his state. Each state will distribute a certain number of gold, silver and bronze medals to its students. Landim estimated that this will increase the number of medals distributed from around 8,400 to close to 30,000, in addition to 51,000 honorable mentions. The purpose of the measure is to encourage the teaching of mathematics. “With this, we hope to have an increasing number of students participating and trying to win a medal”, he said. Another novelty is that IMPA is doubling the number of medals destined to private schools. “There were 75 gold medals and will become 150. This also aims to increase the number of winners to try to encourage participation”, he informed. Challenges According to the director, one thing that only happens with private schools is that they enroll only students interested in mathematics. He made it clear that the test does not measure knowledge and that the problems presented involve creativity. “These are challenges to intelligence,” he said. During the test, many students who don’t like math end up realizing that the subject can be something fun and challenging. Therefore, the assistant director of IMPA reinforced that it is a pity that students who do not have good grades or who do not show interest in mathematics are not enrolled. “Because it is a unique opportunity for them to discover that mathematics is very different from what is taught in the classroom. It awakens vocations. My appeal to private schools is that they enroll all their students,” he said. A symbolic fee of R$ 4 per student is charged upon registration. One of the challenges of the Olympics test is to awaken interest in the subject. “And we get that,” he said. He reported cases of some students who were terrible at mathematics and, after participating in the Olympics, they awakened their interest in the subject and pursued a career in the area of ​​exact sciences, such as engineering, among others, where mathematics is used a lot. Nationally, 650 gold, 1,950 silver and 5,850 bronze medals will be distributed to participants from public and private units. Students who win national medals are invited to participate in the Junior Scientific Initiation Program. (PIC) as an incentive and promotion of academic development. The regional award will be the responsibility of each coordination and does not allow access to the PIC. Enrollment Enrollment is done by schools, who must fill out the form available on the OBMEP website, inform the code at the Ministry of Education and at the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (MEC/INEP) and create a password. In the regulation, school representatives will find information about conditions, deadlines, dates and rules foreseen for participation in the Olympics. The regulation can be found here. The first phase of the Olympics is composed of an objective test of 20 questions and, the second, of a discursive test of six questions. The first phase will be on May 30th. The announcement of those approved for the second stage will be made on August 2nd, with the test taking place on October 7th. The tests are prepared according to the student’s education level: level 1 (6th and 7th grades), level 2 (8th and 9th grades) and level 3 (high school). Announcement of award winners is scheduled for December 20. Landim also said that parents who want their children to participate in the Olympics need to ask the schools’ directors to register and not leave it for the last day, because registrations are done over the internet “and, often, the Conditions are not good.

Agência Brasil