Horizon Educational Trust continues to make leaps in contributing toward education in South Africa. A mathematics competition spanning five provinces and including more than 75 000 primary school students was organised by Horizon. The competition was received with great favour as statistics indicate that South Africa’s performance in mathematics has been declining.
Kenneth Woodward, Subject Advisor Metro North Education District, expressed the importance of the HMC’s contribution to math education: “Round 2 of the recent HMC was an exciting one to be part of. First of all, I would like to thank Kenridge and Bosmansdam Primary Schools for availing themselves as the hosts for this round and Spectra Stationers for spoiling all the teachers who assisted us on the day. Upon their arrival, many learners were visibly nervous and the anticipation was palpable, whilst others could not wait for the challenge to start. It was encouraging to see how enthusiastic the learners were to compare answers afterwards and this collaborative learning experience added to the holistic learning experience of the day. As a District, we look forward to hosting next year’s rounds again and challenge all schools to get involved,”
Through competitions such as the one organised by Horizon, students are encouraged to improve their Mathematics skills, this is especially important as South Africa’s maths scores still lag behind. Horizon Trust awards the top-scoring students in the competition with a variety of great prizes. As confirmed by HMC coordinator Mahmut Batir, the student in first place will receive an IPAD together with a gold medal, the student in second place will receive a Tablet 10 and a silver medal, and the student in 3rd and 4th places receive Smartphones and silver medals, while those in 5th, 6th and 7th place will receive bicycles, with 8th, 9th and 10th place being awarded a Tablet 7 and a silver medal.
Award ceremonies were held in each province and the Horizon Math Competition 2022 Pretoria awards ceremony was held on Thursday, the 26th of May.
Around 75 000 learners participated in the first round, with over 6000 learners progressing to the 2nd round. The top 150 learners received different types of awards including, IPADs, LENOVO tablets, Bicycles, Samsung smartphones, Kindles, wireless Earbuds, and scientific calculators
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019 reports indicate that up to 63% of learners had not acquired basic mathematical skills in South Africa. According to TIMSS, which assesses the maths and science knowledge and skill level of fourth and eighth grade learners around the world, SA continues to be one of the lower-performing countries when it comes to maths and science scores, achieving scores of 374 and 324, respectively.
The Horizon Maths Competition (HMC) is an annual, prestigious Mathematical Competition open to learners attending both public as well as private schools across the country. Horizon Educational Trust, which has partnered with the Education Departments in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and Limpopo, have successfully administered Round 1 of the competition to 74 433 Grade 5 to Grade 7 learners from 525 schools on the 1 st March 2022. Round 2 of the competition was received with great anticipation and excitement and was held on Saturday, 14 May 2022 in several exam venues across the country and was a testament to students’ love for Mathematics. The competition started at 9 am with 11 263 learners from 366 schools participating.
“The organizers of the HMC are aware of the importance of these competitions in allowing learners to expand their horizons and to especially teach the importance of preparation and they, therefore, view a Mathematics competition as vital to the growth of the subject. Extra classes are offered to Grade 7 learners on Saturday afternoons, and we are very proud of the opportunity to be involved in keeping young minds interested in Mathematics for the past 22 years. We believe HMC will grow bigger and better and reach more Maths lovers with each passing year. And of course, healthy competition always comes with an added bonus of great rewards for those great Math brains. At the Provincial Prize Giving Ceremony, there are various prizes for all the learners invited, with top learners receiving awards such as an IPAD, 10” Tablet, Smartphones and even bicycles to enjoy next summer. We wish each and every participant the very best in HMC and we are already looking forward to HMC 2023! One of the main aims of the competition is to encourage and motivate learners in the subject of Mathematics and it was extremely heart-warming to witness the number of learners eager and excited for this opportunity.” Horizon’s statement said.
