THE Western Province took the cup for being South Africa’s top high school mathematics team at the South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) and Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA) maths competition.
The competition, which saw participants from across the country, was held on Saturday.
The Western Province A-team achieved first place out of the 72 junior teams which participated, followed by the A-team from Gauteng North. There were 67 senior teams, of which the Western Province’s A-team took the lead ahead of the A-team from Gauteng North.
Each region had the opportunity to enter two A-teams of ten: Junior (Grades eight and nine), Senior (Grades 10, 11 and 12). The areas could also register additional teams at different levels (B, C and D-teams).
The first part of the competition was a one-hour individual problem paper, consisting of 15 multiple-choice questions. After a break for refreshments and a discussion of team strategy, the second part of the competition started. The second paper consisted of 10 tricky problems, but now the teams may work together and submit just one set of answers.
President of ASSA Lusani Mulaudzi said: “The Actuarial Society of South Africa takes great pride in its long-standing involvement in the SA Mathematics Team Competition for schools. The Team Competition highlights the importance of teamwork.”
He added this year was dedicated to the memory of Wim Els, who led the Society's involvement in the ASSA Mathematics Team Competition for many years.
“We take great pleasure in awarding the Wim Els Memorial Prize to the Junior B-team from the Wits Siyanqoba region and Gauteng North’s Senior D-team. The prize acknowledges exceptional teamwork. We award it to the two teams that improved the most, when they moved from the individual to the teamwork part of the competition. We want to thank the South African Mathematics Foundation for their professional organisation, and congratulate the participants, particularly the prize winners, on their performance.”