Public school students excel in maths
Winning students at the awarding ceremony of the 2014 Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools, held in Rio on Monday (July 20) 
With over 18 million contending students from 46,711 public schools throughout Brazil, the 2014 edition of the Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP) has awarded 501 gold medals; 1,500 silver medals; and 4,500 bronze medals. The awarding ceremony took place on Monday (July 20) in Rio, with the ministers of Education, Renato Janine, and Science and Technology, Aldo Rebelo among keynote speakers.
“The world that opens up before you is not a trivial one. You can take pride in your life stories so far and make careful, ambitious plans for how these stories will develop going forward – you're all achievers here,” Janine told the awardees. In his view, the students' performance helps the country grow.
Ministers Janine and Rebelo greet awarded students
Minister Aldo Rebelo also commended the students on their achievements, noting that many of them succeeded at the mathematical competition through difficulty living in underserved areas. According to OBMEP General Coordinator Cláudio Landim, the competition strongly impacts the quality of mathematics teaching, and “more than a test, it can provide an upward social path for the country.”
Landim said the gold medalists can apply for scholarships to study at Brazilian and even overseas universities. “At the first applications phase this year, one of the students wrote to tell us she had been admitted to the University of Helsinki [Finland]. This shows how well-qualified candidates are,” he said. All gold medalists earn credentials to join a junior university program to attend maths classes at public universities for a year.
Mathematician Artur Ávila, who won a Fields Medal last year, a distinction compared to a “Nobel Prize of mathematics”, was at the OBMEP awarding ceremony, and spoke to the medalists. He said “the Olympiads help build motivation, because students are placed in an atmosphere that stirs up creativity and imagination.”
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Public school students excel in maths
