LAHORE, April 27: Thirty-seven MSc students from 17 universities will take part in Pakistan’s first National Mathematics Olympiad which will be held at the School of Mathematical Sciences of the GC University here on Friday.

SMS director-general Dr A D Reza Choudary told this correspondent on Thursday that five top students would be selected for the national team for representing Pakistan at the 17th International Students Scientific Olympiad in mathematics scheduled to be held at Tehran in July.

He said the Olympiad was a part of the efforts to improve the quality of mathematical education in the country. The SMS had already started several kinds of events for students from grade 3 to 13, which had helped create great interest among them for the mathematics. He hoped that the Olympiad for post graduate students would have a positive impact at universities level in Pakistan.

Dr Choudary said Pakistan had been invited to attend the annual meeting of the Union of Institutes of Productive Learning (IPL) to be held at Germany from May. The Pakistan’s delegation which would include him and noted scientist Mark Bashmakov would request the union to give its membership to Pakistan. The IPL has its centres in Europe and America.

He said in recent years Union of IPL had been using modern technology for the productive learning and efficiently running the professional development programmes for staff of universities, colleges and schools.

He said Pakistan’s admission to the Union of IPL would provide the much needed support for dissemination of knowledge and professional development of its teachers at all levels.