Saxony-Anhalt is the only federal state with a state final round in the Mathematics Olympiad for elementary school students. This Saturday, the third and fourth graders will compare their skills again after a break due to corona.
Halle (dpa/sa) – In Halle, the best math aces from primary schools in Saxony-Anhalt compete in the state finals of the Mathematics Olympiad. After two years of interruption due to corona, schoolchildren will come together again this Saturday to do puzzles and arithmetic. 80 students from 69 elementary schools had qualified for this state finals in the regional round on April 5, said the state representative of the state Olympics, Rainer Biallas.
The competition is held in grades 3 and 4. In both grades, the participants complete a two-hour exam with seven tasks. “The purpose of the competition is to identify and encourage children in this school age group with special mathematical talent at an early stage,” explained Biallas.
The number of participants in the preliminary rounds had decreased because there were still restrictions such as quarantines. But Biallas said: “We are not dissatisfied.” It’s starting again and it looks like the Mathematics Olympiad will continue to exist in elementary schools. On the one hand, the teachers are still there despite the generational change. The Math Olympiad is a motivation for the students. On the other hand, at that age, the parents would still be particularly interested in the support.
Saxony-Anhalt is therefore the only federal state with a state final round of the Mathematics Olympiad in primary schools. The State Mathematics Olympiad is organized on a voluntary basis by members of the State Association for the Promotion of Elements, teachers, professors, scientific staff, students and older pupils.
