Students vie to represent Philippines in global math olympics

MANILA, Philippines — About 3,000 Filipino students are slated to compete for a chance to represent the country in global mathematics competitions this year, the Mathematics Trainers Guild of the Philippines (MTG) announced Thursday.

MTG, which trains students for international math tilts, said the students have been training on algebra, geometry and problem-solving techniques, among others, to prepare for qualifiers in Philippine teams.

Those who pass the qualifying examinations “shall be eligible to enroll as trainees in the 12 Saturdays program where they can earn the chance to take part in international math contests.”

The competitions lined up for Philippine math teams this year include the Po Leung Kuk Primary Math Contest and World Math Olympiad in Hong Kong, India International Math Competition, International Math Competition Singapore, Asia Math Olympiad in South Korea, International Math Challenge in Indonesia, International Math Open for Young Achievers in Singapore, Australian Math Competition, International Math and Science Olympiad in China and the Global Hope Peak Challenge in Macau.

Last year, the MTG-trained teams won over 300 medals from various contests abroad, bringing their five-year medal haul to 6,857.

Even during the pandemic, the Filipino math wizards wrapped up the COVID years on a high note, garnering 1,007 gold, 1,655 silver and 2,826 bronze medals in several virtual math tilts.

Simon Chua, MTG head, said they are confident of the skills of the students, especially after their performance in the previous years.

“We hope they will continue to make the nation as well as their respective schools and families proud by taking home more medals from math tilts abroad,” Chua said.

The NGO, which has been mentoring young math wizards since 1995, is holding the 12 Saturdays Math Challenge for Filipino Kids Training Program in its over 60 centers nationwide – 11 in Metro Manila, 33 in Luzon, 15 in the Visayas and seven in Mindanao.