TANZANIA has won four bronze medals and secured 15th place among 25 countries at this year’s Pan African Mathematics Olympiads (PAMO), held at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

Dr Said Sima, the chairman of the Mathematics Association of Tanzania (MAT) at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), announced the achievement at a city press conference yesterday.

He expressed satisfaction with the math team performance, clinching 15th position, earning 37 marks and four bronze medals. “We also appreciate the support and encouragement from Tanzanians who stood by us,” he stated.

The Tanzanian team included Ambrose Rutashobya from Iyunga Secondary School, Ilham Awadhi from Feza Secondary School (Zanzibar), Mwanaarab Mbwana from Lumumba Secondary School (Zanzibar), Stella Maliti from Marian Girls Secondary School, and Zakaria Mwita from Azania Secondary School in the city.

He said that this is Tanzania’s best performance since 2000, highlighting that last year’s team in Rwanda did not win any medals, participating with six students who earned a total of 10 marks.

Dr Sylvester Rugeihya, the head of the Mathematics Department at UDSM, called for increased support from the ministry to improve mathematics skills and enhance the country's global standing.

“Participants had only two weeks to prepare, which we see as a challenge for future competitions. The ministry should work to provide better preparation resources and support,” he urged

Dr Philip Filikunjombe, the director of legal services at the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), emphasized the potential for higher achievement if more investment is made in mathematics education.

Ambrose Rutashobya, a participant, noted that despite the relative success there is still work to be done to strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields of education.

Having a larger number of participants can lead to more points and better results, he said, stressing early preparation as crucial. “We faced challenges with limited digital resources during our online training,” he specified.

The five participants were selected from 812 students who competed in a national mathematics competition earlier this year, he added.