Zimpapers Logo

Professor Wilson Parawira Correspondent
Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) and the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education are running an annual National Science and Mathematics Olympiads for top performing Advanced level students. The main aim of the competition is to identify talent, to encourage excellence in science and mathematics education and to stimulate interest in the sciences and mathematics.

It seeks to inspire young people to consider careers in science and technology. The subjects on focus are Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics. Science and Mathematics affect virtually every component of our everyday lives, thereby making it imperative to equip the future generation leaders with requisite skills and competencies for their success in the 21st century.

The Olympiads provide an opportunity for young people to discover their potential, show their talent and to stretch themselves in Maths and Science and be further inspired to continue to excel.

The challenges facing humanity in the 21st century requires graduates with critical thinking and problem-solving skills, creativity, communication skills and teamwork.

This calls for the nation to have a high Science and Mathematics literacy. Science and Mathematics must be taught in an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to learning that provides hands-on and relevant learning experiences for students. Science and Mathematics teaching and learning goes beyond the mere acquisition and transfer of knowledge.

It should engage students and equip them with critical thinking, problem solving, creative and collaborative skills, and ultimately establish connections between the school, work place, community and the global economy. Students should understand and apply Mathematics and Science content to solve national problems, and are also the foundations for success in college and careers.

Schools and institutions of higher education are being called upon to focus on the following seven standards of practice (or skill sets) when educating Science and Mathematics students:

Learn and apply content

Integrate content

Interpret and communicate information

Engage in inquiry

Engage in logical reasoning

Collaborate as a team

Apply technology appropriately

The Science and Mathematics Olympiads is a platform which can stimulate creativity, develop critical and analytical thinking and problem solving.

Objectives of the National Science and Mathematics Olympiads

The objectives of the National Olympiads are:

Stimulate enthusiasm and a love for Science and Mathematics subjects;

To develop critical thinking and flexibility in solving problems;

To strengthen Science and Mathematics subjects intuition;

To foster Science and Mathematics creativity and ingenuity;

Engage in logical reasoning;

To develop skills to integrate content in creativity, innovation and problem solving;

To provide the satisfaction, joy and thrill of meeting challenges.

The Olympiads means a lot to any student as it gives very great confidence in studies as well as the prize money gives financial assistance.

Also it paves the path to tremendous success in future studies and educational career.

One of the goals of the Science Olympiad is to elevate science education and learning to a level of enthusiasm and support that is normally reserved only for varsity sports programmes.

This examination gives you the early exposure to the competitive world which inculcates the habit of preparing for competitive examinations.

The National Science and Mathematics Olympiads complement the efforts by the Ministries of Education to promote the uptake of Science and Mathematics subjects up to Advance level and beyond as students’ progress in their academic career and professions. The National Science and Mathematics Olympiads identifies and nurtures talent in SET.

This approach contributes in increasing the human capital in the critical areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

The National Science and Mathematics competitions are meant to test students on, but not limited to, their ability to solve problems in multidisciplinary manner, creativity and wider understanding of the subjects as part of the curriculum versus outside the curriculum, variety in knowledge and skills of competitors, etc.

There is also a balance between questions requiring knowledge of science concepts, process skills and science applications.

They are the most challenging tests available in Zimbabwe at the pre-college level, patterned after and comparable to the high academic level of the International Olympiads.

The other aim is to identify students who can participate in international Science and Mathematics Olympiads from next year. It is felt that with a large base of quality human resources in science, the country must also participate in the International Olympiads in Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Mathematics.

Subjects and Eligibility

The National Science and Mathematics Olympiads 2016 edition shall cover Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics subjects at Advanced Level. It shall be open to all high school students (both lower and upper six students) in all registered schools in the country who are below the age of 19 years.

We shall also run a pilot Science and Mathematics Olympiads at Ordinary level in one province with the intention to run the National Science and Mathematics at this level in 2017.

We hope to have the Junior Science and Mathematics Olympiads in the near future. This will not only improve the input quality of students for the National Olympiads but also promote an Olympiad culture at least in some of the schools of the country.

Science and Mathematics Olympiads Structure

The Olympiads shall consist of two parts: Part I and Part II. Part I shall be conducted in July 2016 at schools in all provinces and shall be taken by the top five students per subject at each school. Part II shall be administered in September 2016 in all the 10 provinces to those students who shall have passed Part I of the Olympiads.

On the basis of their performance in Part II of the Olympiads, the top 50 students are short-listed in each subject.

These are the National Olympiad winners/awardees. The top five in each subject from these winners shall be listed to represent Zimbabwe in international competitions.

The International Olympiads are the world’s unique and most challenging academic competitions for young college students and are individual events with many countries participating from around the world.

The medals (gold, silver and bronze), honours, special prizes, are allocated on the basis of individual scores using some agreed criteria usually laid down in the statutes of the particular Olympiad.

The Olympiads are festive occasions – a celebration of science or mathematics at their best by young participants and their teachers.

The aims of International Olympiads are not only to encourage young students to strive for excellence in their subjects, but also to promote friendship among students, teachers and scientists from various parts of the world.

The International Olympiads in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry started three to four decades ago. IMO is the oldest; it started in 1959; IPhO in 1967 and IChO in 1968.

The IBO is relatively recent; it started in 1990. Their genesis lies in the early initiatives in East European countries and the former USSR which laid strong emphasis on mathematics and science in their school syllabi.

The National Science and Mathematics Olympiads offer students the challenging and rewarding experience of representing their country on an international stage.

Passion, a bright mind, and a love of learning are some of the traits demonstrated by those highly talented individuals who rise to the challenge.

The Science and Mathematics Olympians have sparked the interest in science and mathematics many people into Science and mathematics in the world.

National Science and Mathematics Olympiads Awards and Sponsorship

The National Organising Committee shall source for prizes and sponsorships from the corporate world.

The top 50 excelling students in each subject shall be awarded prizes which could be in the form of money, kind, book vouchers, trophies, bursaries/scholarships international competitions participation, etc.

Schools with the best Olympiads shall also be awarded with prizes and certificates of participation.

More prizes are coming from the business sector, since the National Science and Mathematics Olympiads offers another opportunity for a strong partnership between government, business and the education sector in promoting the study of science and mathematics in the country.

The Olympiads create a platform for mutual partnerships with key stakeholders that include education sector, government, industry, private and public sectors.

A high profile award giving ceremony for schools and winners shall be organised and key stakeholders from government, science councils, and the business sector are invited.

The Olympiads have certainly generated considerable excitement and interest among the meritorious and motivated students of the country based on the inquiries from schools following the National Mathematics Olympiads Bindura University of Science Education run in 2015.

With this brief background and introduction, all eligible schools and students are encouraged to participate in the Science and Mathematics Olympiads 2016 Edition.

Author

Professor Wilson Parawira is a Professor of Microbiology and Biotechnology and is the Executive Dean of Faculty of Science at Bindura University of Science Education

For your views and comments write to [email protected]