Summary
Maths teacher from Bihar advocates for nationwide movement to groom the country’s untapped mathematical talent
Kumar says nurturing students for Mathematics needs to start at the school level, from Class VI itself
There is a growing need to make teaching and learning Mathematics a nationwide movement for the country’s youth, in order for them to prepare and compete with the best globally, educator Anand Kumar has said on National Mathematics Day.
National Mathematics Day is celebrated every year on December 22 to mark the birth anniversary of prodigious Indian Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
Anand Kumar is a Maths teacher from Bihar best known for founding Super 30 – a coaching platform that selects and prepares youth from economically disadvantaged sections of society for the Joint Entrance Examinations.
Speaking at the ‘Ramanujan Amrit Bharat Ganit Yatra’ in Tripura on December 22, Kumar said that there was no dearth of talent in the field of mathematics in the country. However, what was required was to give bright students a platform to nurture their talent and excel at a higher level.
“This requires the government to create a movement for this down to the district and block level by identifying talented teachers, honouring them and encouraging them to form Mathematics clubs,” Kumar stressed.
These teachers, in turn, can spot and pick out raw talent, he said, adding, “They should identify talented students and groom them for national and international mathematical olympiads, which are the launching pad for mathematical geniuses, who go on to become winners of Nobel and field awards.”
Kumar explained that nurturing students for Mathematics needed to start at the school level, from Class VI itself. “A thousand-mile journey begins with the first step. We have to strengthen our school teaching in mathematics and gradually scale it up,” he said.
Drawing an example from Ramanujan’s mathematical journey, Kumar said, “Ramanujan did it on his own. He was self-made. But nowadays, many students show tremendous talent at the junior school level yet fail to blossom due to lack of proper grooming. On this day, I will urge the Union education ministry to create a movement for mathematics by encouraging formation of mathematical clubs at the state level.”
National Mathematics Day was introduced by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2012 to commemorate Ramanujan’s 125th birth anniversary. It has been celebrated every year ever since, with several events organised to mark the occasion by schools and colleges across the country.
Last updated on 23 Dec 2021
