The Eastern Cape Department of Education awarded 100 pupils from rural schools who took part in the national Horizon Mathematics Competition, at the Mandla Makupula Education Institute in East London on Saturday.
The competition has grown from 38,800 entrants in 2023 to 94,000 nationwide in 2024, including 44,000 entrants from the Eastern Cape, in grades 5 to 7, from numerous districts.
Horizon Mathematics Competition representative and teacher Yasin Ghul said the Eastern Cape had the most participants in the country.
Ghul said: “The competition is held every year and each year we see the most participants are from the Eastern Cape, mostly from disadvantaged areas.
“The Horizon Mathematics Competition is made up of two rounds.
“The first is written at the schools and pupils from any school can participate, from grades 5, 6 and 7, all writing the same test, any time from January until the end of March.
“Pupils who obtained 50% or above qualify for the second round which is written on the second Saturday of May for all provinces.
“These top 100 pupils invited to the ceremony will be competing in a national pool next year.
“As a teacher, I believe mathematics is the foundation of all learning, building essential problem-solving and analytical skills.
“Engaging pupils early, particularly in grades 5 to 7, through competitions like the Horizon Mathematics Competition, makes maths enjoyable and builds a solid foundation.
“Such activities foster confidence, logical thinking, and a positive attitude towards maths, setting learners up for future success as they enter high school.”
First place went to grade 6 pupil Iyazi Somdaka, from Nontuthuzelo Primary in Ziphunzana, who won a brand new laptop.
Second was grade 6 pupil Thalitha Tyo, from Xwili Primary School in Lukhwethu near Qunu, and third was Jarryd Froy from Grey Junior School in Gqeberha; and both won smartphones.
Somdaka said: “I am very happy, the competition was difficult but my mom will be very proud of the achievement.”
Tyo said: “I used a phone to get information on Google and would sometimes borrow a phone from the teacher. I am so excited.”
Grade 7 pupil Karabo Chabedi, from Pelomosa Primary School in Maletswai, who placed fifth and won a bicycle said: “I’m so excited, I didn’t expect this but it’s the biggest thing in my life.
“I worked hard to make my mother, myself, my teacher and school proud.
“I wanted my school to be professional and my principal proud of the learners.”
Other prizes included tablets, bicycles, earpods, scientific calculators, mathematics sets, and medals, and each participant received a certificate of participation.
Nontuthuzelo Primary School was awarded the best-performing school in the competition, with two pupils in the top five.
Department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said: “This mathematics competition is conducted with the aim of improving the teaching and learning of mathematics in the deep rural and township areas of the province.
“Furthermore, it seeks to enhance learners’ cognitive abilities, bolster their confidence in mathematics, and deepen their understanding of numerical concepts.
“The Horizon Competition is closely aligned with the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement [CAPS] requirement, which mandates that teachers dedicate 10 minutes each day to mental mathematics in the classroom.
“This initiative stems from the Foundations for Learning [FFL] campaign’s recommendations, aiming to improve mathematics performance by increasing the number of learners who can perform mental calculations swiftly and accurately.
“The Eastern Cape Department of Education partnered with the funders for the competition as a strategic motivation to implement the FFL policy.
“These competitions begin at the school level and progress through cluster and district levels.
“The prize-giving ceremony was magnificent.
“Well done to all the winners, you have worked hard.”
Chulekazi Bulu, the department’s acting chief director for curriculum management, said the competition was aimed at bolstering learning in the intermediate phase, in grades 4, 5 and 6.
Bulu said: “This is the phase we say [where] the learners lose it because from grades 3 to 4 they do so many subjects and the language of learning changes from the foundation phase into English.
“There is a high failure rate in grades 4, 5 and 6.
“This is where we see the need to strengthen our teaching and learning, our core curriculum programmes.
“Today was a way to motivate them [the pupils] and thank the teachers for their work.
“This programme started in 2018, of course, the numbers were low but in time they are increasing every year.” — Additional reporting by Sino Majangaza
DispatchLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.