Mathematicians unhappy with syllabus
12 Jun, 2007
PATNA: Mathematicians of Bihar and Jharkhand are not
happy with maths syllabus of various secondary
examination boards. According to them, the new course,
instead of developing application skills among
students, restrict them to limited topics which are
not enough to crack prestigious competitive
examinations.

They were addressing the first day of the five-day
workshop on 49th International Mathematics Olympiad.
The workshop, which began on Sunday, will conclude on
June 15 and will be addressed by noted mathematicians
from Bihar and Jharkhand.

Social welfare secretary Vijay Prakash, one of the
teachers in the workshop, said major reforms are
needed at the secondary level to motivate and guide
students in mathematics. Every school should have a
mathematical society under a teacher who will develop
mathematical skills among the students of that school,
he said.

In a bid to guide the students even after the
workshop, Prakash said students should write blogs on
the web, asking others to solve a particular problem.
In this way they can get various solutions for a
single problem, he said.

Addressing the participants, ADG Abhayanand and IG A S
Nimbran said those who wanted to become top
mathematicians should not limit themselves to a
certain course. They should always look for new
problems, they said. "The lovers of the subject should
not even go for IIT or similar examinations which do
not allow the students to study beyond the prescribed
course," Nimbran said.

The experts also felt that the students of Bihar do
have mathematical talent but they are not able to
participate or represent the country at events like
Math Olympiad due to lack of proper training.

The five-day workshop, jointly organised by the
Association of Creative Learning, Pataliputra
Mathematical Society and Bashishtha Narayan School of
Mathematics, will guide students who want to appear in
the Regional Mathematics Olympiad organised by
National Board of Higher Mathematics (NBHM). The
regional Olympiad is organised on the first Sunday of
October every year.

Selected candidates are eligible to take part in
Indian National Mathematics Olympiad (INMO), which is
organised on the first Sunday of February every year.

The successful candidates at the INMO are given a
one-month training for participation in International
Mathematics Olympiad (IMO).




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