African Mathematical Union

Where did mathematics originate? While we usually think of classical Greece or Mesopotamia, the more correct answer is Africa. A notched calendar stick more than 35,000 years old, recently discovered in the Lebombo mountains of Swaziland, is the oldest known mathematical artifact; and some of the first written records of mathematics are the papyri of the architects who built the pyramids of Egypt almost 5,000 years ago. These are facts the African Mathematical Union (AMU), which organizes the Pan African Mathematics Olympiad, wants to remind the world about.

More important, it wants to restore that proud heritage of mathematical achievement on the African continent by providing opportunities for gifted students to excel in this discipline. They are being helped in that ambition by the Templeton Foundation. Dr. Mark Saul, senior scholar at Templeton in charge of this strategy, says, “It’s very promising. We’re working with the Pan African Mathematical Olympiad (PAMO) to identify strengths and weaknesses of that program.”

The PAMO’s objectives are to detect youthful talent in mathematics; to encourage, develop and reward African youth; to establish friendly relations among African mathematicians; and to exchange information on curricula and teaching methods in mathematics across the African continent. The Mathematical Olympiad is an annual problem-solving competition for teams of high school students.

The Foundation has provided a grant to Professor Nouzha El Yacoubi, Secretary General of the African Mathematical Union (AMU), organizers of the PAMO, to support a project encompassing two events: PAMOSTAR (Pan African Mathematical Olympiad Symposium on Training and Research) 2007 and PAMO 2008. PAMOSTAR, which took place in November 2007 at Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso, was a series of workshops and training sessions to improve the effectiveness of PAMO 2008.

Professor Nouzha El Yacoubi, who was also invited by the Foundation to develop a questionnaire to study the attitude and motivation of participants in both the PAMOSTAR and the PAMO before and after these events, says that the Templeton grant “will certainly contribute to the development of the PAMO and then to the encouragement of excellence in particular, and to the improvement of mathematics education in general in Africa.”

Saul describes the overall scope of the Foundation’s involvement so far in promoting mathematics in Africa, “There are three initiatives. One is a training workshop (PAMOSTAR) we’ve supported. We bring in experts from other places in the world to work with African mathematicians and teachers, who then work with students. Then we have a committee of visitors (PAMOCOV) and that’s very promising. It’s provided by an American organization called the Quality Education for Minorities Network (QEM).”

The PAMOCOV committee of six visitors was also funded by Templeton and attended the PAMOSTAR training symposium in 2007 as observers. It will also sit in on PAMO 2008 when it is held in Benin in August. The PAMOCOV’s charge is to inform the Foundation’s strategy in promoting mathematics education for gifted students in Africa, to assess the organizational capacity of the AMU to develop the talent pool of gifted African mathematicians, and to identify best practices that have the potential to be used in the United States to help under-supported students with mathematical gifts.

Saul wants to discover where the Templeton Foundation can most effectively intervene to make the PAMO more effective so that it might become a catalyst for enabling gifted minds on the African continent to fulfil their potential. “There are wonderful kids there,” he says, “but often they’re not being stimulated. So this project is exactly Sir John’s idea of what needs to happen.” The same could be said of the remaining initiative that the Foundation is currently funding in relation to mathematics education in Africa.

“The third activity—this was actually Jack Templeton’s idea—is sponsoring a team from Benin, one of the African countries that has a very good internal network of support, for some of these kids to go to the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). Only six countries from the continent of Africa have ever gone.” Saul believes this experience will furnish useful information about how the Benin team works with other students when it visits Germany for the International Olympiad, how its visit affects other students and teachers at home, and how it acts as a model and inspiration for the other countries in the area.

The potential for promoting mathematics among gifted students in Africa is enormous. The PAMOCOV preliminary assessment of the situation highlights the significance of this educational opportunity, “In sub-Saharan Africa, more than half the population is under the age of 25. So education, especially in mathematics and science, will play a critical role in the future economic development of African nations.”


Templeton National Report on Acceleration The Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth African Mathematical Union The pyramids of Giza remain one of mankind’s earliest and most spectacular mathematical and architectural feats. © Holger Mette/iStockphoto	African Mathematical Union Where did mathematics originate? While we usually think of classical Greece or Mesopotamia, the more correct answer is Africa. A notched calendar stick more than 35,000 years old, recently discovered in the Lebombo mountains of Swaziland, is the oldest known mathematical artifact; and some of the first written records of mathematics are the papyri of the architects who built the pyramids of Egypt almost 5,000 years ago. These are facts the African Mathematical Union (AMU), which organizes the Pan African Mathematics Olympiad, wants to remind the world about. More important, it wants to restore that proud heritage of mathematical achievement on the African continent by providing opportunities for gifted students to excel in this discipline. They are being helped in that ambition by the Templeton Foundation. Dr. Mark Saul, senior scholar at Templeton in charge of this strategy, says, “It’s very promising. We’re working with the Pan African Mathematical Olympiad (PAMO) to identify strengths and weaknesses of that program.” The PAMO’s objectives are to detect youthful talent in mathematics; to encourage, develop and reward African youth; to establish friendly relations among African mathematicians; and to exchange information on curricula and teaching methods in mathematics across the African continent. The Mathematical Olympiad is an annual problem-solving competition for teams of high school students. The Foundation has provided a grant to Professor Nouzha El Yacoubi, Secretary General of the African Mathematical Union (AMU), organizers of the PAMO, to support a project encompassing two events: PAMOSTAR (Pan African Mathematical Olympiad Symposium on Training and Research) 2007 and PAMO 2008. PAMOSTAR, which took place in November 2007 at Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso, was a series of workshops and training sessions to improve the effectiveness of PAMO 2008. Professor Nouzha El Yacoubi, who was also invited by the Foundation to develop a questionnaire to study the attitude and motivation of participants in both the PAMOSTAR and the PAMO before and after these events, says that the Templeton grant “will certainly contribute to the development of the PAMO and then to the encouragement of excellence in particular, and to the improvement of mathematics education in general in Africa.” Saul describes the overall scope of the Foundation’s involvement so far in promoting mathematics in Africa, “There are three initiatives. One is a training workshop (PAMOSTAR) we’ve supported. We bring in experts from other places in the world to work with African mathematicians and teachers, who then work with students. Then we have a committee of visitors (PAMOCOV) and that’s very promising. It’s provided by an American organization called the Quality Education for Minorities Network (QEM).” The PAMOCOV committee of six visitors was also funded by Templeton and attended the PAMOSTAR training symposium in 2007 as observers. It will also sit in on PAMO 2008 when it is held in Benin in August. The PAMOCOV’s charge is to inform the Foundation’s strategy in promoting mathematics education for gifted students in Africa, to assess the organizational capacity of the AMU to develop the talent pool of gifted African mathematicians, and to identify best practices that have the potential to be used in the United States to help under-supported students with mathematical gifts. Saul wants to discover where the Templeton Foundation can most effectively intervene to make the PAMO more effective so that it might become a catalyst for enabling gifted minds on the African continent to fulfil their potential. “There are wonderful kids there,” he says, “but often they’re not being stimulated. So this project is exactly Sir John’s idea of what needs to happen.” The same could be said of the remaining initiative that the Foundation is currently funding in relation to mathematics education in Africa. “The third activity—this was actually Jack Templeton’s idea—is sponsoring a team from Benin, one of the African countries that has a very good internal network of support, for some of these kids to go to the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). Only six countries from the continent of Africa have ever gone.” Saul believes this experience will furnish useful information about how the Benin team works with other students when it visits Germany for the International Olympiad, how its visit affects other students and teachers at home, and how it acts as a model and inspiration for the other countries in the area. The potential for promoting mathematics among gifted students in Africa is enormous. The PAMOCOV preliminary assessment of the situation highlights the significance of this educational opportunity, “In sub-Saharan Africa, more than half the population is under the age of 25. So education, especially in mathematics and science, will play a critical role in the future economic development of African nations.”