13-year-old Tochukwu Ndukwe, of the Federal Government Girls College (FGGC) Leeja, Nsukka, Enugu State has emerged the overall winner of the 2018 Nigerian Mathematics Queen Competition.
Saibu Medina from FESTAC College, Lagos, took second position while Olayiwola Adedagun, FGGC, Ketu, Osun came third at the competition.
115 female students of Junior Secondary School across the country participated in the Girls’ Mathematics Olympiad Competition, organised by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At the ceremony, Professor Stephen Onah, the director National Mathematics Competition (NMC) said that the competition was aimed at encouraging and addressing the gap between males and females in the learning and teaching of Mathematics in the country.
Professor Onah said the maiden edition with the slogan ‘Leaving No One Behind’ of SDGs Mathematics Competition and Award ceremony for the crowning of Nigeria Mathematics Queen was geared towards achieving SDGs 4.
In the words of Professor Onah:
“The Nigerian Girl Student has been placed in a disadvantaged position especially in the area of education, which has relegated her in the general scheme of things.
Being a victim of discrimination and male chauvinism, the girl-child hardly could compete educationally with her male counterpart.
This attitude has badly affected the girl child’s education in the area of enrolment in school, performance in class and her quest to progress educationally.
The girl child’s low interest in Mathematics is a serious concern to NMC and it is on this note that we encourage and boost the interest of the girl-student in Mathematics.”
