Old Mutual re-commits to driving mathematics excellence in South Africa

Old Mutual Limited has partnered with the South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) as headline sponsor for the 2020 South African Mathematics Olympiad (SAMO)

Through this sponsorship, a much-needed platform has been created for SAMF to conduct teacher development in partnership with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences. This will move South Africa much closer to the development of critical skills which the country desperately needs to achieve its socio-economic goals.

The Olympiad, the biggest in the country, aims to encourage mathematics talent as well as exchange information on mathematics curricular and teaching method. It plays a crucial role in nurturing the critical thinking and analytical skills of future leaders.

“We are proud to be working with SAMO to improve education, particularly scarce skills like mathematics, It has always been a focus for us. As a business anchored in Africa, we are closely aligned to the Pan African Math Olympiad, organised by the African Mathematics Union (AMU) for secondary school learners under 20 years of age. The participating nations are Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Malawi, Senegal, Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia and Zimbabwe, ” said Celiwe Ross, Human Capital Director at Old Mutual.

When compared to other nations, South Africa rates poorly in mathematical teaching and learning, and this is attributed to several reasons among which is the lack of suitably qualified teachers in certain schools. The world has become heavily reliant on technology and this will most likely influence how companies select prospective employees – student with higher mathematical aptitude will stand a better chance stepping into the job market.

Entries for the South African Olympiad are now open and will close on 31 January 2020. Secondary schools are encouraged to enter their learners for the three-round competition aimed at improving learners’ mathematical competencies. The First Round of the SAMO will take place on the 12th of March at participating schools. SAMO goes beyond the school curriculum by exposing learners to non-routine mathematical problems that will test and improve their logical and analytical thinking skills.

“South Africa is not producing enough learners with acceptable levels of mathematical proficiency and, if the situation is left to persist it will have a negative impact on South Africa’s competitiveness. With this partnership, we are pledging our support for improved mathematics education across the country and hope to play an active role in grooming the next generation of economists, actuaries, data scientists, statisticians and engineers, to name a just a few. These are all critical professions not only for Old Mutual but the continent at large,” added Ms Ross.

Professor Kerstin Jordaan, Executive Director at SAMF, is thrilled about the new partnership with Old Mutual. “The programmes we run at the SAMF are so much more than competitions with top achievers.

It stimulates interest in the subject and identifies and develops mathematical potential. It makes a difference in the lives of people living in the real world. However, to make a difference in the lives of others, we need partners on both sides of the equation. We therefore value the partnership with Old Mutual and SAICA to achieve our goal to improve the quality of mathematics education,” explained Professor Jordaan.