Learners win big prizes at the AMESA Limpopo Maths Olympiads

2008-10-20

Carl Coetzee poses happily with his prizes Carl Coetzee couldn’t wipe the smile off his face at school assembly last Friday, when he was presented with a stunning prize for coming top in the recent AMESA Maths Olympiad. The children of Laerskool Phalaborwa-Noord (the Red School) shared the 13-year-old grade 7 learner’s delight as he was presented with his very own computer.

Carl was one of over 35 000 budding mathematicians in Limpopo who participated in this year’s AMESA Limpopo Maths Olympiad. The finals saw 375 learners write their papers on 10 October at Jane Furse Comprehensive School in Greater Sekhukhune District. Carl obtained top place in the primary school category, earning himself the Pentium 2 computer, a Casio scientific calculator, a gold medal and a certificate.

Vundla Nkosilathi, a learner at Meridian College and a PROTEC student at Palabora Foundation’s Leboneng Education Centre in Namakgale, obtained fourth position in the senior category (grade 10 to 12). He won a silver medal. Nationally, hundreds of learners won medals, calculators, bursaries and computers by participating in maths olympiads this year.

Palabora Mining Company/Palabora Foundation, in collaboration with AMESA Limpopo, has been promoting participation in maths olympiads for over 15 years. Olympiads are an ideal intervention to identify youth with talent and potential.

AMESA and Palabora Foundation representatives present Carl with his prize The AMESA Olympiad takes place at school, district and provincial levels and costs only three rand per entry. Participants receive participation certificates and stand a chance to win great prizes like Carl’s. Another benefit to taking part is that companies generally view those learners favourably; it is a recognition of their talents. These events motivate learners to excel in mathematics or fields linked to maths, such as science, engineering, medicine and actuarial sciences.

Congratulations to Carl, Nkosilathi and all the other participants!

For more information on how to enter for the Olympiads contact Brutus Raganya (AMESA Olympiad district organiser) at the Palabora Foundation on 015 769 5071 or 073 262 9734.

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