01/11/2017

Students create online petition against threat to OBMEP.

Concerned that the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) might not have the funds to hold the 2018 Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP), students Tales Almeida, 17, from Conceição dos Ouros (MG), and Davi Xie, from Curitiba (PR), created an online petition on the Avaaz website ( click here ). The goal is to pressure the Minister of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications, Gilberto Kassab, to release the necessary budget for organizing the traditional mathematics competition.

The projected 50% budget cut for IMPA in 2018, as planned by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications (MCTIC), puts OBMEP at risk. The news has caused a stir among students who have already participated in the competition.

The reaction was immediate. This Monday (30), Tales Almeida and Davi Xie decided to act, in order to reinforce the importance of OBMEP and its positive impact on society. In addition to the online petition, they created the fanpage “ OBMEP transforming lives ”, with accounts from parents and students benefited by the mathematics olympiads.

According to Marcelo Viana, Director-General of IMPA, "this spontaneous initiative from our children and young people, for whom the Olympiad is intended, is yet another demonstration of the relevance of OBMEP for the future of Brazil."

Olympic example

Winner of a silver medal and three gold medals in the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools), Tales saw in Mathematics the chance to help students in the Minas Gerais municipality of Conceição dos Ouros. With the support of teachers, fellow medalists, and the city hall, he created a municipal olympiad in 2013, which has generated good results: students from it have already achieved good results in OBMEPs.

"I was shocked when I learned that OBMEP might end. It was a project that completely transformed my life," says Tales.

He recalls that, thanks to the Olympiad, he was able to go to Rio de Janeiro for the awards ceremonies and participate in events such as the Hilbert Hotel and the Junior Scientific Initiation Program (PIC). Furthermore, he now studies on a full scholarship at a private school in Fortaleza (CE) due to his performance in the competition.

Since they share a house with Davi Xie, also a multi-medalist at OBMEP (four gold medals), they decided to create the petition and the Facebook page, understanding that the best people to pressure the government to maintain the competition are the students themselves.

The initiative has already gained collaborators, such as Diene Xie (Davi's sister), Katarine Emanuela Klitzke, from Timbó (SC), and Luiza Clara de Albuquerque Pacheco, from Fortaleza (CE). Tales reveals that the objective of both the petition and the fan page is "to show the authorities that OBMEP is an important project, which reaches thousands of students and that many could have different lives if it weren't for it. With this, we want the Olympiad not to end and to continue impacting more people."

Soon, the group plans to launch a YouTube channel to post all the video testimonies. They are also preparing a document with the transcript of all the stories, to be sent to IMPA and MCTIC.

Accession

Parents and young people have already sent their stories to the Facebook page. In one of them, Carol Campos, mother of 12-year-old Arthur, gave an emotional account.

"My 12-year-old son, Arthur, fell in love with the world of science olympiads. This year, he won medals in two of them, and we are still waiting for the results of three other competitions. But I'm not here to brag about that. I'm here to say that it was thanks to the Olympiads that my son developed a desire to study."
It was thanks to the Olympics that he made new friends, and it was also thanks to these competitions that he saw some meaning in Brazilian elementary education. Although he still suffers from the "return syndrome"—yes, it exists and is real—it was thanks to the Olympics that he is managing to integrate and find joy in his studies. It was thanks to these competitions that he found mentors along the way and received support from his great idols.

The Olympics change lives. (…). But now, Brazil's main Mathematics Olympiad, OBMEP, is threatened with extinction due to lack of funding. Honestly, I don't know what to do. I don't know how to break this news to my son, who has been making many plans for next year's OBMEP."

OBMEP atinge 99,7% dos municípios brasileiros

The Mapa Educação Project, founded by two OBMEP medalists — Tábata Amaral and Renan Carneiro — also positioned itself in favor of the “Todos pela OBMEP” campaign, sharing the stories of group members who participated in the competition and the link to sign the petition.

"Created in 2005, OBMEP has already transformed lives. Many lives. We at Mapa Educação were directly affected by it. Many of us only got to where we are because of this competition. Tábata and Renan, our founders, were gold medalists. Gustavo, our Human Resources Director, traveled to several countries thanks to OBMEP. Julia, our Logistics Coordinator, was a medalist in OBMEP. Felipe, our Partnerships Coordinator, too. Daniel, our ambassador in Paraíba, as well. That's how our group is. Full of stars. But these stars only exist because OBMEP allowed it. The affection our team has for this Olympiad is something beautiful to see. And it wasn't by chance that everyone was moved, and everyone came together, when Carol, our Content Director, said that OBMEP was in danger of not being held in 2018."

How it works

Created in 2005, OBMEP currently mobilizes more than 18 million students from 53,000 schools in 99.7% of the country's municipalities.

IMPA is responsible for organizing the Olympiad, which costs R$ 53 million. The amount is divided between the Ministry of Education (MEC) and the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications (MCTIC).

If the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications (MCTIC) maintains its 2018 budget forecast of R$ 39 million, equivalent to 50% of what was planned for 2017, the Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad (OBMEP) risks not taking place. The Ministry of Education (MEC) has so far guaranteed the same funding for next year.