15/06/2022

O Globo highlights the scope and impact of OBMEP.

The recognition of more than 680,000 students awarded by OBMEP since 2005 was highlighted in an article in the newspaper O Globo , last Saturday (11). The report highlighted the numbers of the Olympiad, the largest scientific competition in the country, which is carried out by IMPA and involves more than 18 million young people in each edition. With data that point to the boosting of scientific knowledge among students, the report shows the impact of the competition on Brazilian education.

In an interview with the publication, Marcelo Viana, director-general of IMPA, stated that the OBMEP awards recognize young people with talent for mathematics and encourage interest in the subject. “In addition to honoring talent and dedication, these awards bring opportunities to all regions of the country, offering paths to personal and professional fulfillment, especially to our most disadvantaged youth. In this way, they play an important social and educational role,” he commented.

The newspaper also reported on the first phase of the 17th OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools) held at the Mamaindê Cabixi indigenous school in Comodoro (MT), which is maintained by the municipality of Vilhena (RO). In total, 26 students aged 6 to 39 – including students from the Youth and Adult Education program (EJA) – took the exam this year, for the second consecutive time. The 26 elementary and high school students engaged in questions full of logical reasoning and mathematical challenges.

The impact of OBMEP

The report also highlighted data that proves the importance of encouraging students. A study conducted by researchers from the State University of São Paulo, the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, and Itaú-Unibanco showed that students who participated in the Olympiad had an increase of 1.91 points in their average math score, compared to the scores of students enrolled in non-participating schools.

The positive impact was observed both in students who received awards and in those who did not. The same research also indicates that schools participating in OBMEP increased the average approval rate among 6th and 9th grade students by 1.07 percentage points, and reduced the dropout rate in this phase by 0.63%.

The article in the newspaper O Globo also highlighted the importance of encouraging girls and women in STEM fields, citing the IMPA's "Olympic Girls" project. This initiative by the institute aims to stimulate the participation of girls aged 14 to 17 in scientific olympiads, with the goal of increasing female representation in fields such as mathematics, computer science, and engineering.

The full article is available on the newspaper's website.