MISS MATHÉMATIQUE CÔTE D'IVOIRE COMPETITION: FROM 2000 TO 2023

Autres Wednesday 04 October 2023

 "The future belongs to Science and Technology" said President FÉLIX HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY, the founding father of Côte d'Ivoire.

Today, everyone agrees that "without mathematics, there can be no development".

Indeed, the inclusion of mathematics in almost all areas of life, through its extraordinary power of organisation and structuring to understand the real world, makes it an indispensable factor in the economic, social, cultural and technological development of societies.

BIRTH OF THE SOCIÉTÉ MATHÉMATIQUE DE CÔTE D'IVOIRE (SMCI)

The Société Mathématique de Côte d'Ivoire (SMCI) is a learned society bringing together mathematicians, users of mathematics and anyone interested in promoting mathematics as a tool for development. It was founded on 14 May 1977 following the recommendations of the Pan-African Congress of Mathematicians held in Rabat from 26 to 31 July 1976, and in accordance with the statutes of the African Mathematical Union (AMU), of which it is the local section. It has been chaired since 1977 by Professor Saliou TOURÉ.

Its objectives

The SMCI has three (3) main objectives. These are to promote research into the teaching of mathematics, likely to enable a large number of people to master their techniques while contributing to the training of future researchers; to contribute, through mathematics and its applications, to the economic, social and cultural development of Côte d’Ivoire; and to encourage fruitful collaboration between mathematicians and their users.

To achieve these objectives, the SMCI has, since its creation, organised a number of activities, the main ones being the Pan-African Mathematical Olympiads (OPAM), the Miss Mathématique competition, the Houphouët BOIGNY de Mathématiques competition, the Abidjan Mathematical Symposium, the Yamoussoukro Mathematical School, the Abidjan Mathematical Week and the activities of the Mathematics and Computer Science Clubs.

2000, declared the Year of Mathematics

It was in 1992, at the initiative of Jacques-Louis Lions, a French mathematician and then President of the International Mathematical Union, that the idea of making the year 2000 the World Year of Mathematics was launched. This initiative was announced in Rio de Janeiro, then relayed to the UNESCO General Assembly by delegations from several countries, to give the celebration the international recognition it deserves.

In practical terms, a wide range of projects, often aimed at the general public, were set up in many countries: here a stamp, there a conference focusing on history, and elsewhere panels discussing the teaching of mathematics. And to top it all off, more than 50 cities around the world displayed posters on mathematics in the metro or on urban transport.

In developed countries, mathematics has been incorporated into the objects that surround us. Never before have the service and industrial sectors been so keen to include mathematicians in multidisciplinary teams.

In developing countries, however, more and more voices are being heard to encourage the training of as many people as possible in mathematics, which is an essential prerequisite for accelerating development.

THE MISS MATHÉMATIQUE COMPETITION

In order to prepare young girls to take part in the world scientific boom, the Société Mathématique de Côte d'Ivoire (SMCI) has set up a mathematics competition called MISS MATHÉMATIQUE.

The first edition of this competition, aimed at young girls in Côte d'Ivoire, took place in 2000. Since then, it has aroused a great deal of enthusiasm among pupils, and rightly enjoys the encouragement and support of the State through the Ministry of National Education and Literacy.

"The spirit and approach of mathematics are destined to play a decisive role in our country. This is why we created the Société Mathématique de Côte d'Ivoire in 1977, and set up the Concours Félix Houphouët-Boigny de mathématiques in 1984," said the eminent professor Saliou TOURÉ.

The aim of the Miss Mathématique competition is to motivate and encourage young girls to take more and more scientific subjects; to give them the means to excel in mathematics, where the emergence of new talent will help to revitalise scientific research in our country; and finally to enable young women to take their rightful place in the scientific and technological development of Africa in general, and Côte d'Ivoire in particular.

The competition is divided into two (02) phases.

During the first phase, the composition phase, two (02) types of subject are tested. A subject lasting two (02) hours and 30 minutes, intended for pupils in Troisième class of secondary school, and a subject lasting four (04) hours, intended for pupils in Terminale class of secondary school in streams C or E.

The second phase concerns the awards. During the awards ceremony, six (06) prize-winners will be congratulated. For each level, these are the first (the Miss), second (the first runner-up) and third (the second runner-up). Prizes were also awarded to all candidates who scored at least 10 out of 20 in the competition (the nominees), as well as to the three best schools.

THE MISS MATHÉMATIQUE COMPETITION : A SPRINGBOARD FOR THE WINNERS

The winners of previous editions, for those who have completed their studies, are doing very well in the various sectors in which they operate: finance, insurance, telecommunications, international institutions, among others.

As for those who have completed their studies in engineering schools or preparatory classes, they are a credit to Côte d'Ivoire with their extraordinary performances. 

How do you enter?

Entries will be accepted from the four (04) best students in Terminale C or E, and the three (03) best students in Troisième. To be eligible, students must have obtained an average in mathematics of more than 10/20 in the Terminale class and 14/20 in the Troisième class, at the end of the first two terms or the first semester of the current school year.

The maximum age for candidates is 16 for the Troisième class, and 19 for the Terminale C or E classes.

Only school heads are authorised to register their candidates.

THE ABIDJAN PORT AUTHORITY, OFFICIAL PARTNER OF THE MISS MATHÉMATIQUE COMPETITION

For the Managing Director of the Abidjan Port Authority (PAA), himself a seasoned scientist, scientific training is an important vector for the development of nations, and an excellent area for gender affirmation that young women should seize upon to claim their place in Ivorian society.

For these reasons, he had no hesitation in committing the Abidjan Port Authority, as a good corporate citizen, to supporting this competition which, for several years now, has been helping to identify skills that are the pride of Côte d'Ivoire.

This commitment led to the signing of a partnership agreement on 27 April 2023, providing annual financial support of 25 million CFA francs to the Société Mathématique de Côte d'Ivoire (SMCI) for a period of five years.