St George’s College (STGC) edged Munro College to claim the championship trophy at the sixth annual University of Technology (UTech), Jamaica mathematics competition held last Thursday at the university’s Papine campus.

The competition, organised by UTech’s School of Mathematics and Statistics, within the Faculty of Science and Sport, has welcomed both urban and rural schools since its inauguration.

Despite a challenging final, the team from North Street in Kingston was elated not only to be crowned the winners, but also the most improved school in this year’s staging.

“We were kind of shocked when we heard that we won, even though we were looking at the points at the same time. Because, you know, a lot of nerves and other things were included while we were working the questions, all the pressure,” 12th-grader Gamaliel Williams told the Jamaica Observer in a post-competition interview.

Eighteen-year-old Mikhai Sillpatt, who is in upper sixth form, was particularly happy about the win, as he helped to create history before he graduates from STGC at the end of this academic year.

“When we saw the win, although we were excited because of the benefits, but we looked deep within ourselves and realised that, you know, we achieved such a great goal that we kind of set history because this is our first-ever win. We placed third in 2022. So, we as a team, set the first place for us, and we’re proud of that,” he said with much pride.

Sillpatt also noted that the competition challenged his and his teammates’ skills, but they managed to develop their confidence simultaneously.

“[I]t also gave us somewhat of a jaw-dropping experience as well, because some questions that we thought that we would have gotten right turned out to be wrong. So we also built our confidence more, I would say, throughout the competition. But, you know, the preparation was kind of on point for the semi-final going on into the final,” he said.

For 16-year-old Jerome Hayles, he is looking forward to carrying on this legacy for his school.

“[D]uring the competition, a lot of persons did not expect me to be on the team since I am in fifth form. And, being in fifth form gives me the opportunity to play two more years for both upper and lower sixth, and also to give my experience for future team members,” said the aspiring actuarial scientist, who hopes to pursue his undergraduate studies at UTech.

Working collaboratively was an essential aspect of the team taking home the victory, with each of them, along with their coach, receiving $50,000.

“I think that team spirit is very vital, as all of us need to come together, think together, and deliberate on our answers to compare and contrast. At times, one of us might act like, oh, we’re the only one who gets it right. But through our collaboration and deliberation, we’re able to decide on what was the answer and what wasn’t the answer. So I think that team spirit was one of the key components in our victory this season,” explained Williams.

Given Jamaicans’ poor performance in both the Caribbean Examinations Council mathematics examinations, Sillpatt believes that students would benefit from additional help to boost their confidence to do better at the subject.

“A lot of teachers emphasise practice, but I think that has other implications. There might be a case where the student might practise something over and over and over, and they don’t get it. Seek additional help. Reason being, some students lack the confidence to go to someone for help. Hence, they try to figure it out on their own. And in trying to figure it out on their own, they do not succeed. So, having that sort of drive from someone that understands the content in order to prep you for the exam is good — other than practising day by day and not getting it,” he emphasised.

However, Hayles is calling for a more practical approach in the teaching of mathematics. He believes there should be relatability to the real world.

“I do believe that every topic that they teach should be applied to real-life situations. I think that will help them to be more grounded, and it shows that there are things that you can apply to. Because they normally say that, ‘What I’m going to learn, what is the hypotenuse of a triangle going to do?’ So, applying it to real life would make some good help,” he argued.

In the meantime, Sillpatt said that applied mathematics should be introduced in more schools at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination level.

“[W]hat could be incorporated in the sixth form — a lot of schools don’t do it — is called applied mathematics or integrated mathematics. So having that set as a mandatory subject could also build the critical thinking within those students. So when they get into college they can easily matriculate to solving these ‘buss-head’ equations,” he said.