Students in grades four to six across primary schools in Portland are gearing up to face-off in a Primary Mathematics Quiz Competition, which has been launched in the parish.
The contest was launched at the Buff Bay Primary School on Wednesday (March 18) and will be executed under the theme ‘Maths for all: Building communities, confidence, competence and creativity’.
Community Relations Education Officer for Region 2 in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Tanya Sinclair, speaking at the launch, said that the competition is a part of the Ministry’s response to the need for improved student performance in mathematics.
“Our data shows that nationally, we had 56 per cent of our Primary Exit Profile (PEP) students obtaining proficiency and seven per cent highly proficient, totalling 63 per cent overall. It means that we have more than room for improvement and for initiatives and competitions like this to help us close the performance gap in mathematics,” Ms. Sinclair said.
She described the competition as another opportunity for the students to learn, improve their mathematics skills, have fun, and meet new friends.
For her part, Mathematics Coach, Suzette Simpson McNeil, said that the competition is designed to strengthen computational fluency, deepen conceptual understanding, and encourage critical thinking among students.
“Additionally, it fosters teamwork, boosts morale among students and teachers, and promotes a positive and enthusiastic culture around mathematics,” she pointed out.
Providing an overview of the competition, the Coach stated that both public and private schools in Portland are invited to participate in the quiz.
The teams will comprise four students from each team and one reserve member. The questions will be drawn exclusively from the modified mathematics curriculum appropriate for grades four, five and six.
The quiz is expected to run for four rounds across five locations, namely Buff Bay Primary, Hope Bay Primary, Port Antonio High, Moore Town Primary, and Castle Community Centre.
Following the official launch, students participated in round one of the competition through a pencil and paper test, which will determine if they progress to the next round.
“After today’s round, eight of the participating teams with the highest cumulative score will advance to round two. So, we’ll have four teams from East Portland and four from West Portland,” Ms. Simpson McNeil said.
Rounds two and three of the competition are scheduled for April 17 and round four – the finals – will be on May 7, during Child Month.
The competition is being hosted with the support of the Social Development Commission (SDC) and other sponsors.
