The Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Druk Gyalpo’s Institute launched the HRH Gyalsey Annual Mathematics Award on 1st November 2022 coinciding with the 14th Coronation Anniversary of His Majesty The Druk Gyalpo.
The annual Award has been established to highlight the importance of Mathematics and to enhance and nurture students’ inherent abilities in Mathematics. In a rapidly changing world, STEM has become a part of our everyday language and life. Learning Mathematics is not just about understanding the abstract science of numbers, quantity, and space, but through them developing thinking skills such as logical, critical, creative, and spatial. These skills are crucial for students to thrive in a world that is getting complex both conceptually and technologically.
The HRH Gyalsey Annual Mathematics Award is open to students at two levels: Middle Secondary School (classes 9 & 10 students) and Higher Secondary School (classes 11 & 12 students). The winners will be determined through an online Mathematics test held every year on 1st November.
The test is designed to examine students’ ability to demonstrate general mathematical skills such as logical, critical, creative, and spatial thinking, with a focus on number sense and the ability to carry out inductive and deductive reasoning.
In the preliminary round, all interested students in Middle and Higher Secondary Schools in Bhutan participated in a a selection process designed by the teachers in their respective schools between 8th and 12th October 2022. Through the process, a maximum of 15 students each in Middle Secondary and Higher Secondary levels were selected to participate in the national level test. The national level test for both Middle and Higher Secondary Schools will be conducted online using Google Forms and the analysis of the results will also be done through a self-grading process on Google Forms. The duration of the test will be for one hour. The merit list will be drawn based on the marks obtained in the test. In case of a tie, the students will be given a set of tie-break questions until the winner is decided.
The winners of the HRH Gyalsey Annual Mathematics Award for 2022 are as follows:
Higher Secondary School level (Class 11 and 12)
1. National Mathematics Champion for Higher Secondary School: Prakash Sundas, Class XII, Sarpang Higher Secondary School, Sarpang
2. First Runner-Up: Rohan Rai, Class XII, Ugyen Academy, Punakha
3. Second Runner-Up: Thukten Choida, Class XII, The Royal Academy, Paro
Middle Secondary School level (Class 9 and 10)
1. National Mathematics Champion for Middle Secondary School: Vedanth Bhandari, Class X, Loselling Middle Secondary School, Thimphu
2. First Runner-Up: Sangay Wangdi, Class IX, The Royal Academy, Paro
3. Second Runner-Up: Ugyen Zimba Tshering, Class X, The Royal Academy, Paro