Bhubaneswar, May 26: Love it or hate it, one cannot escape mathematics in school. A good number of students are, however, trying to get over their fear of numbers by attending a maths training camp during their summer vacation.

The National Institute of Mathematics Education and Research (Nimer) is holding a week-long state-level summer mathematics training camp to help students deal with mathematics and make them feel comfortable with the subject.

"We are trying to make students unlearn the concept that maths is difficult by making it interesting for them. We involve tricks while teaching them the intricacies of maths in more than one way," said Nimer registrar A.K. Pati.

"I was scared of maths for a long time because my basics were not in place. I would blame myself for not being attentive in class and finally, when the seriousness of the situation dawned on me, I realised that I had to learn the concepts from scratch," said Riya Mohapatra, a student from Rourkela, who is attending the camp.

The camp has 110 students from classes IV to X, who were selected from across the state through an entrance exam. The students have been divided into various groups. Most of the students appeared happy with the problem solving skills that they have picked up during the introductory sessions at the camp.

"I blame my teachers entirely who never made me feel that I could be good in maths. Many mathematics teachers, irrespective of their schools, have set up their own tuition classes and do not take much interest in teaching students in the classroom. They do not want the students to learn. That is why this workshop has made me look at maths in an entirely new light and I am simply loving it now," said Alok Barik, a student.

Eminent mathematicians and experts such as C.K. Mohapatra, P.C. Das, S.R. Satnam, S.S. Agrawal, H.B. Patnaik , Jyoti Ranjan Tripathy are training the students and helping them develop a connect with numbers.

The experts spoke about the need for a revision in the mathematics syllabus and intensive teacher training programmes. "Efforts must be made to encourage students to embrace mathematics and they need to let go of their negative perception about maths. Very often even parents create an atmosphere of fear when it comes to dealing with the subject. Mathematics must be approached like any other subject," said Gokulananda Das, a retired mathematics professor.

"It is all about getting over the fear of maths," he said.