Old Mutual Malawi pumps in K34 million towards Mzuzu University’s ‘Mathematics Olympiad Competition’

As part of expressing its commitment in advancing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects in Malawi, Old Mutual Malawi has pumped in a total of K34 million to Mzuzu University (MZUNI) which will go towards supporting the University’s upcoming 2024/2025 season of the 9th Mathematics Olympiad Competition set to take place early next year.

The competition which was introduced in 2015 by Old Mutual in partnership with Mzuni is mainly aimed at encouraging secondary school learners to have much interest in studying Mathematics which is one of the subjects that empowers students with solving skills, logical reasoning and creativity, which are essential in the development of the country.

Speaking during the official handover ceremony in Blantyre, Old Mutual Malawi, Marketing and Corporate Affairs Executive, Patience Chatsika said their support signifies a great commitment that they’re not only promoting academic excellence but also anticipating that the participants in this year’s  competition will go on to prefer mathematics in their education journey and develop into meaningful citizens in their professions just as previous cohorts have done.

Chatsika added that their institution understands that being a responsible business means more than just achieving financial success but making meaningful contributions to the communities they serve hence believe that supporting educational programs is one of the most impactful ways to ensure sustainable development.

“We are proud to stand alongside educators, parents, and students in this journey of excellence. Our main objective is to inspire, challenge and motivate young learners to reach new heights and unlock their full potential especially in the areas of Science, Technology and Mathematics.

“We take pride to continue to build evidence that this program provides years on as we have medical doctors, CEOs, Actuaries, Engineers, Statisticians, ICT gurus and many more who that have benefitted from this sponsorship and their experience speaks volumes of our impact,” said Chatsika.

Member of Staff in Mathematics and Statistics Department at Mzuni, Artz George Luwanda commended Old Mutual for their continued gesture which he said will go along way in making the competition successful saying Mathematics is a a backbone of all Science and that if students are grounded in Mathematics all Science will be easier at this age of IT.

“As an academic institution, we are very grateful for the support because it is helping us to tap talent  in Mathematics from our secondary as well as high schools and also to fill the institution’s mandate by reaching out to the communities for work by inspiring the teachers to help students better not only in Mathematics but also in other Science subjects because we want to ensure that more girls show their talents so that we can  inspire others that are upcoming because learners think Mathematics and Science subjects are difficult but it’s not like that,” said Luwanda.

The best Mathematics Olympiad Competition winners are expected to compete at the Continental level, precisely, Pan-African Math Olympiad (PAMO).