Some 146 students from Grades 7 – 11 from approximately 33 secondary high schools across Jamaica will participate in the semifinal round of the 2010 Jamaican Mathematical Olympiad on Saturday March 27 on the Mona Campus. The Olympiad is organized by Department of Mathematics at The UWI, Mona in collaboration with Sterling Asset Management.

The semifinal round will take place from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm in the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences.  At the beginning of the competition, approximately 600 students from Grades 7 - 11 entered the qualifying round.   They came from 46 different high schools across the island.  On the basis of tomorrow's examination, the top 10 students from each grade will be selected.  These students, 50 in all, will be entered in the final round of the Jamaican Mathematical Olympiad. 

The final round will be held on April 17, 2010, at the UWI, Mona Campus.  On the basis of that examination, the national mathematical champions for each Grade level will be selected.  The three best students who meet a certain age criterion will form the Jamaican Mathematical Olympiad Team.  This team will travel to Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, from May 26--June 1, 2010 to participate in a Regional Mathematical Olympiad. 
 
The launch of the Jamaican Mathematical Olympiad is part of an attempt by the Department of Mathematics, Mona to identify mathematically talented students, encourage them in their studies, and provide extra resources and special training for them. In the longer term, the Department also expects to encourage all students, even those of more average abilities, to take up a more interesting and challenging set of experiences.  It is expected that teachers and students across the spectrum will engage in better and more satisfying mathematical activities in their classrooms.