By Jide Olusola
More than 10,000 students from primary and secondary schools across Nigeria on Saturday participated in the 23rd edition of the Annual National Mathematics Competition (ANMC), organised by Nigerian Tulip International Colleges (NTIC) in collaboration with the National Mathematical Centre (NMC).
The competition featured pupils from Primary 5 and 6, as well as students in Junior Secondary School (JSS) 1 to 3. It was conducted simultaneously at selected centres across 31 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), reflecting the competition’s wide national spread and growing influence.
Speaking during the event, the managing director of NTIC, Dr Fevzullah Bilgin, described the ANMC as one of the largest and most prestigious mathematics competitions in the country.
He said, “For twenty-three years, NTIC has been promoting effective teaching and learning of mathematics at the primary levels and developing greater capacity through its Annual National Maths Competition. Over the years, ANMC has only been for Primary 5 and 6 pupils going into JSS1, and in the 2022 edition, the Junior Category of ANMC was included, giving opportunity to students in JSS1, 2 and 3 to participate and benefit from the scholarship opportunity.”
Dr Bilgin disclosed that about 10,000 students took part in this year’s edition, noting that “the competition, which started in 2003, is now a prestigious nationwide competition that is responsible for nurturing great talents in the subject of mathematics.”
He also stressed the importance of mathematics in the evolving education landscape, stating, “With the inclusion of STEM in the students’ curriculum nationwide, the understanding and love for mathematics have become essential for anyone to excel in STEM and other science-orientated subjects.”
Beyond testing academic ability, the ANMC also serves as a scholarship platform. Students who excel and qualify after the second round will be awarded full-tuition scholarships to study at NTIC, in addition to receiving cash prizes. Mathematics teachers of successful students will also be rewarded with cash incentives, while their schools will receive educational materials such as desktop computers, printers and tablet devices.
The Coordinator of ANMC, Mr Erdal, highlighted the competition’s long-standing impact, saying that “since the inception of the competition in 2003, more than 500,000 pupils have participated in the competition across Nigeria, and we have offered a 100% scholarship that covers tuition plus hostel fee for six years (throughout secondary school) to more than 600 outstanding students who have participated in the competition.”