STUDENTS RAISING MONEY TO FINANCE THEIR TRIP TO THE MATHEMATICS OLYMPIAD IN SEOUL

Students from the mathematics school in the Black Seas coastal city of Varna are raising funds to pay their flight tickets because they are keen to participate in the international Mathematics Olympiad competition, which will be held in Seoul. Their story was shown in the BNT morning programme ‘The Day Begins’. The students are willing to participate in the contest, but funding is a problem. Unlike the practice for covering the travelling expenses for students from the upper grades, who participate in mathematics competitions on international level, the Ministry for Education does not provide financing for younger students, from 5-6 grades and from 8-9 grades.

According to the Maths teacher,Ivan Angelov, who was invited as a guest in the TV studio, it is likely due to the fact that the practice of organizing international mathematics contests for junior students has only been introduced recently, over the latest 10 years. He however believes there is hope to find the necessary finances, because at the moment a meeting is being held with representatives of the Ministry for Education, under the patronage of the President, on the relevant topic.

The junior students study at the School of Mathematics ‘D-r Petar Beron’ in Varna and the news from this morning is that three teams of students from that school won three NASA awards, including the highest - the Grand Prize.

Though a live coverage, the BNT reporter Galin Georgiev introduced the viewers to the elite of young mathematicians who were keen to participate in this big mathematics contest. The students shared their experiences in problem-solving contests and talked about their preparation.

Not a lot of time has left before the teachers decide who will be included in the two teams for the International Olympiad in Seoul.

The teacher Ivan Angelov explained that 8 students altogether would be travelling to Seoul, 4 from each age group, and the finances would be needed to pay for the airplane tickets only because the organizers of the event will cover the accommodation expenses. The teacher added that Bulgaria was the host of such competition last year. Previously students would themselves cover the costs fully or partially, except for the most recent competition in Harvard, which was financed by a sponsor.

The presenters of the BNT programme have expressed hope that the relevant institutions will take steps to find the required funding, because Bulgarian mathematics students usually perform very well at such competitions and win lots of medals.

Anyone willing to support them can do so by contacting the team of ‘The Day Begins’ by phone +359 2 814 22 80 or via e-mail: start@bnt.bg.

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