Five young mathematicians from Selborne Primary School are through to the finals of the Wits National Mathematics Challenge on September 10.
Mnombo Stofile, Benjamin Bisschoff, Aaron George, Muhammad Hussain Ghia and Aiden Daniel, secured their places after excelling in the competition’s earlier round.
The contest, run by the University of the Witwatersrand, is designed to challenge pupils with complex, non-routine problem-solving tasks that go beyond the standard curriculum.
Headmaster Riaan Bisschoff described the achievement as an honour saying: “At Selborne, we are always looking to be better than yesterday. This achievement shows that we are more than just a sports school and proves that our academic environment is also robustly developed.”
Head of mathematics, Brad van Coller, said he was proud of the boys’ efforts. “It was a tough set of questions, but I knew we had strong mathematicians,” he said.
“These competitions focus on problem solving rather than routine operations. They test different parts of the brain,” he said. “What set these pupils apart was their ability to think out of the box and try different methods to reach a solution.”
Benjamin’s mother, Kerri, said: “Benjamin is proud of himself, but nervous about how [difficult] the final will be. The teacher couldn’t help them during the competition, so Benji had to think things through on his own. That was a valuable lesson.”
Aaron’s parent said he was proud to have made it to the finals again, having reached this stage last year. “Aaron’s logical mind and passion for numbers motivate him to excel in maths and problem-solving.
“The competition boosts his confidence, and he eagerly anticipates the final.”
