The Evolution and Impact of Mathematical Olympiad in Bangladesh

 

What is Mathematical Olympiad

Mathematical Olympiad is a mathematical competition for pre-university students. Among the International Science Olympiads, the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is the oldest and most prestigious. Romania hosted the first IMO in 1959. Since it was referred to as "The Sport of Brain," the name "Olympiad" was chosen in place of "Olympic."

Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad, or BdMO, is arranged similarly to many other nations. BdMO is organized annually by the Bangladesh Math Olympiad Committee, a non-profit group that was established in 2001. The event is sponsored by Dutch Bangla Bank and Prothom Alo.  

Format and Levels of the Olympiad

The BdMO has four categories: Primary, Junior, Secondary and Higher secondary. Primary category is for students from grade 3 to 5. Junior category is for students from grade 6 to 8, secondary category is for students from grade 9 to 10 and the higher secondary category is for students from grade 11 to 12.

Selection, Regional, and National are the three rounds that BdMO has in total. The selection process is conducted online. The chosen competitors compete in the regional math competition. There are about 2000 students chosen for the national round. After a four hour exam in the national round,, about 60 receive medals.

A National Match camp is held for some of the national round's selected winners. It is a residential camp for 12 days. The top six are chosen to represent Bangladesh in the International Mathematical Olympiad after a final round of testing in the math camps.

Training and Preparation

Two residential camps are planned for young people to improve their math skills after the national round of BdMO named National Math Camp and Extension Math Camp. Numerous classes organized in the camp are designed to cover certain complex mathematical concepts. Also, about six exams are given to choose the math team for IMO.

Additionally, other camps have been arranged in the past year. Examples include primary camp, junior camp, and Lilaboti camp (reserved for females). Online courses are also taken prior to the regional or selection stage by Bangladesh Math Olympiad Committee. 

Impact on Education and Learning

It is regrettable that traditionally, people in our nation have not enjoyed the subject of "Mathematics." The 'M' in STEM was largely disregarded, despite the students' growing interest in it. But many young people today are interested in pure science because of Olympiad culture. The evidence for this trend is the increase in undergraduate enrollment in mathematics departments at universities.

The Olympiad also promotes the development of problem-solving abilities. Olympiad seeks to teach the art of problem solving in the conventional curriculum, when seeing the solution before ever attempting it has been the standard. A student who has competed in an Olympiad has improved problem-solving abilities and the persistence necessary for learning new topics.

Challenges and Opportunities

Even after the Olympiad became well-known, a number of parents and schools continue to put obstacles in the way of Olympiad participants. Some parents forbid their child from participating because they think it would affect their academic performance. Some schools or colleges restrict students from taking time off to attend residential camps. Finding guidelines for competing in the Olympiad might be challenging. 

Today, Olympiad competitors have several fantastic opportunities. Students who won medals at the International Olympiad are accepted almost every year by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, and Princeton, the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, and other IVY-league institutions. Currently, certain Bangladeshi universities are also emphasizing Olympiad results. The medalists of the IMO are granted admission without an admission test to Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST). Those who win medals in the national round will receive full scholarships from BRAC University and United International University (UIU).

Success Stories and Notable Achievements at IMO

In 2005, Bangladesh joined IMO for the first time. Out of a possible 252 points that year, the team ultimately scored 3 points. That era has long since passed. Bangladesh's scores gradually began to improve. We won our first bronze medal in 2009. Dhananjoy Biswas of Chittagong College received the first silver medal after waiting three years. But achieving the gold medal dream was not simple. Asif E. Elahi, a student of Sylhet MC College, twice narrowly missed winning the gold medal by one mark. Meanwhile, Bangladesh's 2017 ranking of 26th was the highest in our history. Ahmed Zawad Chowdhury of Bangladesh ultimately won the gold medal in 2018 after scoring 32 out of a possible 42 points. In that year, Bangladesh also reached their highest total, 118 out of 252. This year, The IMO took place in Chiba, Japan and Bangladesh won 3 bronzes. Results of the team-score and individual-score of Bangladesh are available here and here, respectively. 

ACHIEVEMENTS AT OTHER INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIADS

In addition to the IMO, Bangladesh is also competing in part in Asian Pacific Mathematics Olympiad (APMO) and European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO). APMO is typically hosted at BRAC University, and the first gold medal was won by Md. Maruf Hasan Rubab of Ananda Mohan College in 2021. Bangladeshi girls have just started taking part in EGMO and have had great success. In 2022 and 2023, Viqarunnisa Noon School & College's Nujhat Ahmed Disha won silver, narrowly missing out on gold this year by just two points. 

Personal Experience 

I've been competing in the Bangladesh Math Olympiad since 2014. I received numerous regional and national awards. I attended six Extension Math Camps and seven National Math Camps. Although I received two honorable mentions from APMO, I regrettably wasn't chosen for the IMO team.

After completing my HSC in 2023, I began my career as a Math Olympiad tutor. I was a trainer at Junior Math camp and also at Lilaboti camp. 

In my high school life, I was tangled up in the Mathematical Olympiad which offered me huge challenges and pressure. The journey was enjoyable but strenuous, sometimes even frustrating. But turning back, there is no denying that was the best thing I could have done in that time.

Conclusion

The slogan of BdMO is "Let the second differential of all be negative." A graph is increasing if its second derivative is negative. By taking lessons from Mathematics, we hope that we will get an educated and talented generation with problem-solving ability.

About the Author

Thamim Nur Zahin was born in Chittagong, Bangladesh on March 5, 2003. He passed his SSC (2020) from National Ideal School and HSC(2022) from Motijheel Government High School and College. He recently enrolled in the Mathematics department of BRAC University. He is presently attempting to determine what he wants to pursue in the future.