IMPA launches OBMEP Junior Teachers' Olympics

IMPA announced , this Tuesday (2), the creation of the OBMEP Mirim Teachers' Olympiad, whose first edition will be held in 2026. Aimed at teachers of the initial years of Elementary School, the initiative is developed in partnership with B3 Social and will have the academic support of the National Association of Mathematics Teachers (ANPMat) .

The announcement was made by the Director-General of IMPA, Marcelo Viana, during the 1st National Seminar of the "All Mathematics" Commitment , held at the Institute in Rio de Janeiro. Viana highlighted that the project represents another step in IMPA's commitment to teacher training and strengthening mathematics education in the country.

“Since we created OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools) in 2005, our involvement with basic education has grown significantly. Now, we are taking another step: starting in 2026, IMPA will also organize an Olympiad for basic education teachers,” he stated.

Viana emphasized that the competition aims to reach teachers in the early years of schooling, whose relationship with mathematics is not always reinforced by their initial training. “We consider it essential to reach these teachers, whose relationship with mathematics is not always very peaceful. The new Olympiad is our first concrete contribution to the National Commitment to All Mathematics, reinforcing the engagement of IMPA and its partners with the future of mathematics education in Brazil.”

For the MEC (Ministry of Education), the announcement of the OBMEP Mirim Teachers' Olympiad is part of the efforts of the "All Mathematics Commitment," strengthening the pedagogical practices axis of the policy. "In 2026, we will have Olympiads for mathematics teachers in the early years, in conjunction with IMPA and AnpMAT, and Olympiads for mathematics teachers in high school, in conjunction with EX-ITA and SBM. These are deliverables that structure the MEC's commitment to recognizing teachers and improving learning in mathematics," highlighted Tereza Farias, General Coordinator of Elementary Education at the Ministry.

Format of the scientific competition

The new Olympiad is born as an offshoot of the OBMEP Mirim, created in 2022 by IMPA for students from the 2nd to the 5th grade of elementary school. The Teachers' Olympiad exam will be administered together with the second phase of the OBMEP. After the exam, the assessments will be graded by IMPA.

The first edition will offer 25 gold medals, 50 silver medals, 100 bronze medals, and 500 honorable mentions. All medalists will receive, in addition to the medal, the opportunity to take an online training course. In the case of gold medalists, there will also be an in-person component of the course in Rio de Janeiro.

“We want this training to help teachers develop a project to work with their elementary school students. They will prepare a project, submit it to IMPA, and the approved projects will have their execution funded through a grant,” explained Viana.

The goal is for these projects to serve as initiatives to strengthen mathematics education in schools, encouraging students to participate in the OBMEP Mirim (Junior Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools).

According to the president of ANPMat, Sumaia Almeida Ramos, the creation of the Olympiad is aligned with the urgent need to strengthen the training of teachers in the early years of schooling.

“The discussion of Toda Matemática (All Mathematics) exposed weaknesses in teaching and in the appreciation of teachers. We realized that teachers in the early years have less specific support in mathematics, and we needed to act on this front. The Olympiad was created to value and identify transformative initiatives and offer formative support to these professionals. It is an action for teachers, but whose primary consequence is for students. Better prepared teachers directly impact learning,” he stated.

National Seminar

The "Toda Matemática" National Commitment is a policy of the Ministry of Education (MEC) aimed at strengthening Brazilian mathematics education. Held at IMPA, the 1st National Seminar of the "Toda Matemática" Commitment marked the launch of fundamental program materials, such as the Governance Guide and training materials for teachers of the early years. The event also included the awarding of prizes to winning teachers of the ANPMat Symposium Challenge, as well as recognition of medal-winning students and innovative teachers. The holding of this first "Toda Matemática" event at IMPA reinforces the strategic partnership between the Institute and the MEC.

The event was attended by the National Secretary of Basic Education, Kátia Schweikardt; the Secretary of Education for the state of Rio de Janeiro and representative of Consed (National Council of Secretaries of Education), Roberta Barreto; the Municipal Secretary of Education for Rio de Janeiro, Renan Ferreirinha; and the Municipal Director of Education for Capivari (SP), José Lucas de Moraes.