Bridge pupil emerges overall winner in mathematics competition

Alexander Oghenebrume, a primary six pupil of Bridge’s Schools at Babatunde Laja Academy has emerged as the overall best out of over 1,800 pupils at 11th edition of The Ultimate Mathematics Ambassador (TUMA) competition.

TUMA is an annual event organised by the Ambassadors School, Ogun State with a vision to eliminate mathematics phobia among pupils and discover talents.

During the prize-giving and award ceremony, Samson Osewa, the chairman of Ambassador School, Ota, said: “It is always an honour for us to host the Ultimate Ambassador Maths Competition and this corporate social responsibility of the Ambassador Schools, Ota, is fuelled by a desire to replace the phobia for mathematics which is inherent in most young people, with a cultivated passion for the subject.”

Osewa added that: “Mathematics is the mother of invention. The knowledge of mathematics is not self-sufficient but it remains the bridge to other worlds.”

He said mathematics provides an effective way of building mental discipline and encourages logical reasoning and mental rigour.

“In addition, mathematical knowledge plays a crucial role in understanding the contents of other school subjects such as science, social studies, and even music and art.”

Commenting on the outcome of the competition, Foyinsola Akinjayeju, the managing director of Bridge International Academies (Bridge) in Nigeria, said: “The result of the 2023 Ultimate Maths Ambassador competition is a testament to our value proposition at Bridge – Bridge Builds Leaders. It is our first time participating in the TUMA competition as a school and we are more than excited to have come first place among several other great talents. We are super proud of Alex and his teacher.”

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Mathematics is taken seriously in Bridge Schools as is evidenced by the outcomes from a report by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID).

The report found that Teachers in Bridge schools spend more time teaching numeracy than in other private schools (93 percent vs 85 percent).

Hamida Alebiosu, another Bridge pupil, who also participated in the competition received a prize for emerging as one of the top-performing pupils at the competition.

Bridge is a network of Community Schools across Lagos and Osun States and its pupils have consistently delivered high scores at the National Common Entrance Examinations for four consecutive years, surpassing the national and state cut-off marks into federal unity schools.

The result from TUMA 2023 proves that Bridge methodologies drive pupils toward attaining academic excellence.