Mangalore: From a time when the ‘Mathematic Olympiad’ was something unheard of, today, the proud students from the land of intellects are making their presence felt in prestigious examinations.
Believe it or not, out of 35 students selected from Karnataka to take part at the Karnataka Regional Mathematic Olympiad (KRMO-2017), eleven are from Mangaluru and are all students of the Centre for Advanced Learning (CFAL). The selected candidates are Samarth M Bhat, Suraj Sarvesh Samaga, Rahul Balike, Aishwarya A, Anish Sripad Hebbar, Alina Pinto, Yermal Koustubh Rao, Shravan Singh Mehra, Ankush Moger, Rajath Rao K N and Hema Padmaja.
Website: http://olympiads.hbcse.tifr.res.in/rmo-2017-result/
Mathematical Olympiad is one of the most prestigious examinations conducted by the Government of India and all selected students qualify for INMO (Indian National Mathematical Olympiad) which leads to International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).
If eleven students have made it till here, a large part of the credit should go to their institution CFAL, which started promoting National Level Math and Science competitive exams. It was evident that the students from the region did not have much of an inclination to attempt examinations like KRMO, JEE, KVPY and this is mainly because, the current education system is focused on board-exam marks and note-based learning that diminishes true understanding and love for the subject. This year, 11 students from Mangalore (2 of them from 10th std.) clearing the exam is a historical milestone for this city. If students have strong conceptual understanding and guidance from highly motivated professors, they can achieve outstanding results, said Severine Rosario, Principal, CFAL, Mangalore recalling the rare achievement of CFAL student Aditya Prakash who was selected for the 58th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in 2016-17. It was after a gap of 20 long years that a student from Karnataka participated in International Math Olympiad.
The institution has its focus right and it continues to groom students to make it to the final level of the olympiad. The first stage of the exam (Pre- RMO also known as PRMO) was held on Aug 20, 2017 at different centres all over India. A total of 623 students from Karnataka were selected for the Second stage exam (Karnataka Regional Mathematics Olympiad – also known as KRMO). KRMO 2017 was held on October 8th, 2017 and 35 students have been now selected from Karnataka for the Third stage exam (Indian National Mathematical Olympiad – also known as INMO). The 30 students selected at the INMO are made to undergo training programmes in Mumbai and out of this five to six students represent India at the IMO-2018 to be held in Romania in July 2018.
The Mathematics Olympiad Program in India is organized by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) on behalf of the National Board of Higher Mathematics (NBHM) of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
Ms Rosario says that it is important to understand the importance of starting early. “Understanding the subject and the ability to see things differently happen when children are introduced to the subject matter at an early age. If a student learns for excellence and not for marks, his/ her journey of learning becomes joyful and competitive exams are not a threat. However, the current education system puts excessive importance on securing marks through rote- learning. Since the inception of CFAL, students in Mangalore have been able to achieve what was previously considered only a dream. CFAL has been consistently working towards changing education paradigms and is striving to empower children to be their best selves,” she said.
Vijay Moras, Program coordinator, CFAL among others were present at the press meet.
CFAL is located in Bejai- Kapikad, Mangalore.
Contact Information: 0824 4279374 /9740939374/ 98457371320. Website: www.cfalindia.com
