Filipino math whiz kids take Australia by storm

By MADEL R. SABATER

MANILA, Philippines -- Malacanang on Wednesday lauded Filipino math whiz kids who bagged awards and medals during the 2011 Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC).

“We are proud to congratulate our Pinoy Math whiz kids for their recent achievements in the 2011 Australian Mathematics Competition,” Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said yesterday.

Valte said the recent achievements of these young Filipino math wizards “are testaments to the well-rounded and world-class talent of the Filipino.”

“They, and the many others who have excelled in numerous fields, assure us of our nation’s bright future,” she said.

Fourteen-year-old Adrian Reginal Sy, a freshman at the St. Jude Catholic School in Manila has garnered a perfect score in the competition while 60 other Filipino students placed in the top two percent of the 300,000 participants of the AMC.

Aside from garnering a perfect score in the competition, Sy also bagged the Peter O’ Halloran Certificate, the highest award in the AMC.

Other perfect scorers were from Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and China.

Math competitions like the AMC is envisioned to prepare more Filipino  students gifted in Mathematics to consider taking up science, engineering or mathematics careers in the future.

This would further beef up the scientific community’s manpower and replace those who have retired or sought greener pastures abroad.