Young mathematicians in the country were on Thursday, 28th January, 2010 awarded at the Great Olympiad Mathematics Competitions (GOMC) ceremony organised by the Youth Care Foundation (YCF).

The award ceremony was held at the Seaview Garden Hotel in Kololi. In his opening remarks, Sulayman A. Njie from the Region One office of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) thanked the organisers of the competition for the enduring and continuous determination in the promotion of science and mathematics in the country. ?Such drive will not only help the students, it will assist the school?s administration to achieve  better performance in mathematics,? he said.

He further stated that schools challenge will not only help the students  but also school administrators, teachers and parents to step up their inputs into the system. ?We know that mathematics contests will enhance the interest of students in the subject and improve performance at large. Iit will also increase comradeship in competing schools and students and the standard will surely be improved,? he remarked. He noted that the GOMC is an interschool mathematics academic contest with the sole objective to serve as a forum to demystify and improve the study of mathematics in schools.

According to him, it is also designed to support outstanding students and to recongnise the teachers and schools that inspire their excellence. He revealed that Youth Care Foundation (YCF) The Gambia believes that mathematics equips pupils with a unique powerful set of tools to understand and change the world. ?Furthermore, these tools include logical reasoning problem- solving skills and the ability to think in abstract ways. On the human level, the ability to think in abstract is not a common trait, mathematics develops this trails,? said the executive director, Kolapo Abdul.

For his part, Adama Jimba Jobe, at the directorate of Science and Technology Education said MOBSE applauds the efforts of YCF in setting up the campaign of mathematics outreach. ?WE need development in mathematics in the country and maths competitions will definitely enhance and give incentives for self improvement,? he said. He then explained that competition is a major factor in education and the national education systems, intending to bring out the best in the next generation, encouraging competitiveness among students through different methods.

The first position went to Ling-Yi Kuo from Marina International School. He was awarded a scholarship, a certificate of excellence and decorated with a YFC Olympiad clip. The school went away with a golden trophy, a certificate of excellence and geometry solid figures and manual. The teacher too was awarded a certificate. The awards were presented by Mr. Lukman Olushi of Skye Bank.

The second position went to Amadou Tijan M.A Jallow from Gambia Senior Secondary School, who was awarded a scholarship, a certificate of excellence and decorated with an YFC Olympiad clip. The school went away with a golden trophy, a certificate of excellence and and geometry solid figures and manual. The teacher was also awarded a certificate.

Adama Jimba Jobe presented the awards to the best three junior schools.  Alieu Jallow St. Therese Upper Basic School took first with golden trophy, certificate of excellence, scholarship and a YCF Olympiad clip. The same went to Binta Bijou Jeng of the Deeper Life Upper Basic School and Bubacarr A. Jallow from the Latrikunda Upper Basic School.

Cindy Gregg from the American Embassy presented awards to the West African Examination Council (WAEC) the Mathematics Teachers? Association of The Gambia and the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. She added that the hope of technological development hings on the youths that are mathematically-inclined. The ceremony was witnessed by a cross-section of personnel in the educational and public sector.