The Minister of National Education, Mohamed Saad Berrada, denied that the absence of certain Moroccan students in the Mathematics Olympiads organized in Great Britain, deprived of participation for administrative reasons, was due to negligence on the part of the ministry’s services.
In a response to a written question from the president of the parliamentary group of the Popular Movement, Driss Sentissi, the minister indicated that his department had well prepared for participation in the 65th edition of the International Mathematics Olympiad, which took place in the United Kingdom from July 11 to 22, 2024.
“Upon receipt of the official invitation on February 7, 2024, the ministry took all necessary measures, selecting the national team members and registering them with the international advisory committee organizing the event,” he said .
And to explain in his response that the ministry had covered the accommodation and catering costs, purchased the plane tickets and paid the visa application fees on June 10, 2024, as well as the fees for an accelerated procedure , “but the complexity of the procedures prevented obtaining a visa for the United Kingdom”.
He added that the ministry asked the joint commission, composed of the Association of International Mathematics Olympiads and the organizing committee, to allow students to participate remotely on an exceptional basis, but the students were unable to do so. because of the rules of the Olympiads which do not allow remote participation.
The minister noted that Morocco was able to participate in a similar competition in South Africa in August, where it was represented for the 31st edition of the African Mathematics Olympiad, between August 10 and 20, 2024. The Moroccan team obtained first place in the competition with a total of 201 points, a score never achieved by any country in the history of the Olympiads, he pointed out.
The government official also explained that the ministry was mobilizing all its resources to allow students to participate in this type of competition, noting that Morocco has participated in the International Mathematics Olympiads since 1983, with a total of 41 participations until 2023, specifying that during these participations, Moroccan students won 4 silver medals, 36 bronze medals and 83 honorary distinctions.
The Minister of National Education, Preschool Education and Sports indicated in his response that these results allowed Morocco to rank 68th out of 112 participating countries, stressing that these competitions and the paths leading to them are organized by administrative notes published each year at the start of each school year.
He also noted that students who follow the Olympic course in one of the disciplines benefit from a training and supervision program focused on qualitative approaches to solve complex problems, and practice through series of training during school holidays, as well as during the second half of July.
