3 minute read
FOBISIA Online Maths: Code Breaking Competition 2023
Andrew Chambers
Mathematics Teacher, British International School Phuket
British International School Phuket recently successfully hosted the FOBISIA Online Maths Code breaking competition. This was a huge success with 76 schools taking part from across Asia. Students had to work through a variety of codes, and those that cracked all codes in a level got to add their names to the leaderboard. An incredible 10,335 students managed to complete at least one level - a fantastic achievement. There is a close link between mathematics and code breaking which made this a natural fit as a mathematics competition. The skills that make good mathematicians, problem solving, logical thought and perseverance are the same skills that make great code breakers.
John Gwyn Jones MBE, CEO FOBISIA had this to say about the event:
The FOBISIA Maths Codebreaking competition is the first FOBISIA Student event to finish this academic year, and what an event! With 75% of our Member Schools participating and over 10,000 students involved, the hosts British International School Phuket have set the bar very high for future events this year. We hope the students involved enjoyed the experience and thank you to BISP for adding this exciting event to the 2022-23 FOBISIA Student Events Calendar”
It was fantastic to see thousands of talented mathematicians from across Asia coming together to test their code breaking skills. Many thanks to all the teachers who worked hard in organising their school’s participation and who gave their students a chance to see some real life applications of mathematics outside the classroom.
There was a lot of very positive feedback about the event. Some quotes from teachers included:
“The students absolutely loved this competition. We will likely add more code breaking challenges to this year’s lessons in light of how much the students enjoyed them.” “It gave us an excellent opportunity for enrichment of our maths curriculum. It was wonderful walking around the classrooms and observing pupils and teachers truly engaged in the challenges.”
“This was a fantastic event, being both inclusive and challenging to all of our students.”
Who knows, maybe some of these students will go on to work in encryption and decryption as a future career. Well done to all who took part!
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS:
Amnuay Silpa School Bangkok International Preparatory & Secondary School Bangkok Patana School Brighton College International School Bangkok British International School Hanoi British International School Ho Chi Minh City British International School, Phuket British School Jakarta British School of Cordoba British Vietnamese International School Hanoi British Vietnamese International School Ho Chi Minh City Bromsgrove International School, Thailand Charter International School Claremont Senior School (*) Colegio Britanico de Cordoba (*) Crescendo HELP International School Denla British School, Bangkok Dover Court International School Singapore Dulwich College (Singapore) Dulwich College Seoul Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong Dulwich College Suzhou Eaton International School Malaysia elc International School Garden International School Eastern Seaboard Ban Chang Garden International School Kuala Lumpur Glenunga International High School (*) Haileybury Almaty Harrow International School Bangkok HELP International School, Kuala Lumpur Hornbill School Hua Hin International School International School Brunei International School of Busan, South Korea (*) Island School, Hong Kong (*) Jerudong International School Brunei Kellett School Hong Kong King Henry VIII College King's College International School Bangkok Nexus International School, Malaysia North London Collegiate School (Singapore) North London Collegiate School Jeju Panyathip International School, Laos Prince of Wales Island International (Primary) School, Penang Prince of Wales Island International School, Penang Regent's International School Pattaya Rugby School Thailand Seoul Foreign School Shrewsbury International School Bangkok City Campus Shrewsbury International School Hong Kong Shrewsbury International School, Bangkok Riverside Singapore International School of Bangkok (Pracha Uthit Campus) Sri KDU International School, Kota Damansara Sri KDU International School, Subang Jaya St. Andrew's International School Bangkok St. Andrew's International School Sukhumvit 107 St. Andrew's International School, Green Valley St. Christopher’s International Primary School, Penang St. Stephen’s International School, Bangkok & Khao Yai Taipei European School Tenby Setia Eco Park The ABC International School The Alice Smith School, Kuala Lumpur The British International School of Kuala Lumpur The British School in Colombo The British School in Tokyo The British School Manila The British School New Delhi The International School @ ParkCity The International School of Penang (Uplands) Wellington College International Hangzhou Wellington College International School Bangkok Wellington College International Shanghai XCL International School
