Rubayet-e-Zaman, an 11-year-old boy, was looking a bit upset while he was roaming around in the field of Saint Joseph School yesterday evening.
The contestant came from the port city to vie for the national level competition of Mathematics Olympiad under the primary school category to make it through to the next round.
Rubayet said he failed to deal with the problems in the exam as he desired.
“The exam was good, but not to that level as I desired,” he said while responding to a query from the correspondent about his unhappiness.
But in contrast to Rubayet, Abdul Gafur Patwary, another participant at higher secondary level, was looking happy while he was making preparation to enjoy the cultural programme held after the competition.
“I hope I would get the call for the next round as my exam was good,” he said, adding that my dream of joining the International Olympiad would be true if I succeeded in today’s exam.
Like Rubayet and Patwary 1,055 students from 22 districts gathered yesterday on the premises of Saint Joseph School located in the capital’s Mohammadpur to participate in the two-day-long National Mathematics Olympiad 2014.
Most of them were in festive mood during the whole day though some were a bit upset and tired while some nervous about losing the battle.
“You should not be upset if you do not get call for the next round because everybody will not be the winner in a game,” said Prof Muhammed Zafar Iqbal of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology while he was talking to the competitors before staring the cultural programme at the evening.
Every of you must take lesson from the errors that you had committed, he said, adding that this would lead you to succeed next time.
Around 40 participants will get call from today’s competition for the next round called “camping” for intensive nursing and developing mathematical skill which will continue for next months.
Five best selection from the contestants in the camping will join the 55th International Mathematics Olympiad to be held in July in South Africa.
The two-day-long National Mathematics Olympiad started yesterday with an aim to select the Bangladesh team for the International Olympiad.
Earlier on January, a regional competition has held in 22 different districts to select competitors for the national event from where yesterday’s competitors came.
In four categories, primary, junior, secondary and higher secondary,
the participants appeared in the competition whose result will come out today.