FOBISIA SECONDARY MATHS COMPETITION 2023

Mr. Banzragch Tulga IGCSE/IB Mathematics Teacher, The English School of Mongolia

The long awaited FOBISIA Secondary Maths Competition at long last took place during 13-16 April 2023 at the English School of Mongolia (ESM) after being delayed for three whole years. Our unique geographical location proved difficult for many interested schools as highly creative travel plans would be required to participate in the competition.

Ultimately Dulwich College Seoul, Seoul Foreign British School, The British School Kathmandu, and British School Manila made their way here to Ulaanbaatar enduring long flight hours and many transfers. The competition kicked off with a total of 10 teams!

Starting with a Welcome Dinner on the day of arrivals where students and teachers from different schools had a chance to formally meet and get acquainted with each other before the fierce and intense challenges on the following days. Challenges featured a variety of mathematical topics, with each focusing on a different set of mathematical skills and a heavy emphasis on teamwork! Impressive displays of teamwork were shown all around with some teams dividing up the workload, some working together to solve difficult questions conversely others overcame disagreements and conflicts with effective communication. Students developed and fostered their critical thinking skills in the Riddles round, expanded their horizons by trying Graph Theory and Combinatorics problems, demonstrated determination and resilience during the seemingly impossible puzzle rounds!

“The students, and us teachers, all had such an amazing time, and really appreciate all the time and effort you invested into making it such an enjoyable experience!”

After being overwhelmed with rigorous mathematics for three days we made our way to the countryside for a cultural trip, stopping by the largest equestrian statue in the world, the Chinggis Khaan Statue. We then tried exciting activities such as horse riding, camel riding, eagle handling, and traditional archery. The weather was not pleasant for such outdoor activities with strong gusts of wind and very low temperatures however students showed perseverance and their commendable attitudes and enjoyed the activities. Students were also delighted to experience snow in April!

We hope that this competition provided an opportunity for students to push the boundaries of their mathematical abilities by tackling problems and exploring topics that go beyond their regular curriculum in a timed and teamworkbased environment.

“The students and I had a blast and it was great to visit your school and Mongolia. Thank you for your hard work in organising it.” – Dulwich College Seoul

ESM would like to express their sincere and utmost gratitude to the teachers and schools for all efforts put in to enter the competition. We are very grateful for the tremendous amounts of patience and understanding shown by the teachers. Lastly and most importantly the unwavering enthusiasm and dedication towards the mathematics made this event a blistering success. It was a pleasure to finally host this live competition and we look forward to hosting many more!