The Ministry of Education and Youth (MOEY) will stage National Mathematics Week 2023 from March 26 to 31 under the theme ‘Reigniting the Maths Flame: Light up our World’.

Speaking at a JIS think tank on Wednesday, National Mathematics Coordinator Dr Tamika Benjamin said the ministry is encouraging parents, teachers, students, principals and the wider Jamaica to give full support to the week.

“We have to get on board as part of the drive to change the mindset… towards the subject,” she said.

The week of activities commences on Sunday, March 26 with a church service at Clifton New Testament Church of God, 52 Mannings Hill Road, Kingston.

The official launch of National Mathematics Week 2023, along with the staging of the Mathematics Teacher of the Year Award Ceremony, will take place at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus Assembly Hall on Monday, March 27.

JN has partnered with the ministry to recognise this year’s award recipients. From Tuesday, March 28 to Thursday, March 30 all seven education regions will host activities geared towards improving the mathematics culture and building the profile of the subject in Jamaica.

These will include quizzes, posters, and display competitions and pageants focused on mathematics.

Regions one and three activities will take place respectively at Mico University College, Kingston, and the Port Rhodes Sport Club in Discovery Bay, St Ann, on March 28, starting at 9:00 am.

On Wednesday, March 29, region five stakeholders will gather at Munro College, St Elizabeth, at 8:30 am. On Thursday, March 30, mathematics activities for region two will be held at Port Antonio High, Portland; region four at Sandy Bay Primary, Hanover; region six, Cedar Grove Academy, St Catherine; and region seven at Prospect Primary and Frankfield Primary in Clarendon, starting at 9:00 am.

The education ministry will on Thursday, March 29 host a virtual national mathematics parent session from 5:30 pm to 6:45 pm.

The week’s activities will culminate on Friday, March 31 with the launch of a National STEM-Novation Village at The UWI from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. The village will provide teachers, students, and other stakeholders with the opportunity to see mathematics at work in a range of STEM-related career fields and explore the application of mathematics to everyday life.

Regional mathematics coordinator for region six Camae Johnson Burrell told JIS News that Mathematics Week activities are not just about engaging students. “We also want to engage our teachers, parents, and all other stakeholders,” she said.

This is the eighth staging of National Mathematics Week since it was first introduced in 2013.