02/02/2022

The municipality of Oeiras (PI) stands out in the 16th OBMEP.

Ana Luísa Vasconcellos

In the heart of Piauí, the city of Oeiras, located 280 km from the capital, is emerging as a giant in mathematics in the state. In the 16th edition of the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools), the municipality of 36,000 inhabitants showed that the investment in OBMEP preparation has paid off: 19 medals and 43 honorable mentions were won by students from the public school system. Located in a predominantly rural area, Oeiras prepares its students for the Olympiad through the "Oeiras Olímpica" project, which offers after-school mathematics classes for students competing in Levels 1 and 2.

Located 550 km from Oeiras, the city of Cocal dos Alves, also in Piauí, is already nationally known as the "capital of mathematics" because of the remarkable performance of its students in the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools). With investment in the competition, the city has seen its educational level rise and, year after year, has surpassed itself in winning new awards. Now, it's Oeiras' turn to stand out among the most awarded cities in the state of Piauí, with 4 gold medals, 5 silver, and 10 bronze.

Professor and supervisor of the Oeiras Olympic project, Sandra Regina Martins Salvador, explains that the example of Cocal dos Alves demonstrated that success in the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools) can open doors for students. “Despite being a very small city, Cocal dos Alves has a very large representation in the Olympiads, even larger than that of Teresina, which is the state capital. So it was an inspiration for us. We understood that we could also get there, but we needed to find our own path. We had some weaknesses in Oeiras, especially in the rural area, but we needed to take advantage of the skills of students who have an aptitude for the area,” she says.

Professor Egnilson Miranda Moura, regional coordinator of OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools), is responsible for the Piauí region that includes Oeiras. He attributes the success in the competition to the work developed by the municipality, which offers specific training for the Olympiad. “It’s a spectacular student preparation program. And it’s worth highlighting that this training doesn’t distinguish between students from rural or urban schools. In fact, a large portion of the award-winning students in this edition are from rural schools,” he comments.

Projeto Oeiras Olímpica oferece aulas específicas para OBMEP | Crédito: Divulgação Oeiras Olímpica

Created in 2018, the Oeiras Olímpica project brings together six teachers who give specific classes for the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools). The classes are offered to all interested parties, outside of school hours, in 28 schools in the region, 14 of which are in urban areas and 14 in rural areas. “In 2018 we started with only a few schools, but the following year we expanded to the entire rural area. In this edition, we had a great result! I believe this happened because we continued the classes remotely during the pandemic; we never gave up on the project,” says teacher and media supervisor Renato dos Santos Martins.

Students from rural areas face difficulties accessing school.

One of the challenges faced by the municipality is the fact that a large part of the city's population lives in rural areas. With many students living in the countryside, access to school is often difficult. To prevent young people from having to travel kilometers to the city center, the municipality has schools in the countryside that follow the same educational program as the urban schools.

Jodiléia Pacheco de Barros is the director of the Contentamento Municipal School, the largest school in the rural area, serving more than 30 communities. “I shouted with joy when we heard the result, because although our teaching is the same as in urban schools, we have difficulties. The internet here doesn't reach as it does there, so there are several complexities. But this didn't discourage the students; on the contrary, I believe it motivated them even more to seek this medal,” she says.

Alunos são estimulados com ensino matemático em escolas de zonas urbanas e rurais | Crédito: Divulgação Oeiras Olímpica

Medalists were surprised by their achievements.

This is the case of João Álvaro Santos Silva, 15 years old, son of farmers, who won a bronze medal in the 15th OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools) and has just won a silver medal. He says that his dream is to study civil engineering and his passion for mathematics has only grown with the project. “In my family, there's no one in this field. I'm the first to follow the path of mathematics. When I received the news that I won the silver, I jumped for joy! I was confident after the test, but I was very happy with the achievement, and so were my parents. I think they were even prouder than I was,” he commented.

Rookie Kairo Eduardo Aragão de Oliveira, 12 years old, won a gold medal in his OBMEP debut. Also a student from a rural area and the son of farmers, Kairo says the experience in the competition was surprising. “I found the test very different, with difficult questions, but I managed to do it. I think without the project I wouldn't have won the gold. I've always liked mathematics, I think it comes from within, but even so it was a surprise. I really didn't expect it!”, he celebrates happily.

In addition to excelling in the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools), the municipality surpassed the goal set by INEP (National Institute for Educational Studies and Research).

Oeiras' achievements are not limited to medals and honorable mentions, although these are great accomplishments. The city also surpassed the goal set by INEP for 2021, which stipulated that all of Brazil should reach a score of 6.0 on the IDEB (Basic Education Development Index). This index takes into account the level of educational quality, in terms of proficiency and performance (approval rate), and the goal of reaching a score of 6.0 is an attempt to elevate Brazil to the level of countries with the best education systems in the world. In 2019, Oeiras received a score of 7.4 in the initial years and 6.3 in the final years on the IDEB.

In urban schools, students also had reason to celebrate. Multi-medalist Igor Gabriel Oliveira da Silva, 15, received a gold medal. “I’m so happy! I took the whole test and knew I had done well, but the news was a source of great pride,” he rejoices. This is the third consecutive medal for the student from the Juarez Tapety Municipal School. In the 14th edition, he won his first gold, and in the 15th, he won silver. “The first gold was a huge achievement. I went to the national awards ceremony in Salvador, and it was an incredible experience. One of the first times I flew on a plane! I made friends there who are still close to me today,” says Igor Gabriel.

Like Igor, 13-year-old student Maria Gabriela Holanda Martins from EM Juarez Tapety is celebrating consecutive medals. She received bronze in the 15th edition and has now won a silver medal. “I was very emotional when I heard I had won the medal. I wasn't expecting silver because it was my first experience at Level 2, which is more difficult, so I was very happy,” she says.

Daughter of Professor Renato dos Santos Martins, Maria Gabriela has always had mathematics present in her life. Her older brother is also a medalist in the Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad (OBMEP). But she confesses that her love for the subject only came with time. “I didn't like math that much, but I ended up having a lot of inspiration at home. So, nowadays, even though I like the area of languages more, I dedicate myself to having a good performance in the OBMEP! My brother and I study a lot together, we exchange a lot of information,” explains Maria Gabriela.

The proud father affirms that the project to encourage participation in OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools) not only generated greater motivation for studying among students, but also encouraged young people to enter the world of scientific and technological knowledge. “Promoting the Olympiads greatly helps in the students' growth and also brings opportunities for their professional future. Furthermore, it motivates them to make it count. Our main goal is to make education in the network grow and resonate for everyone!” he concludes.

: Crédito: Divulgação Oeiras Olímpica

: Crédito: Divulgação Oeiras Olímpica

: Crédito: Divulgação Oeiras Olímpica