Bangladeshi students once again displayed their mettle in the Math Olympiad. Bangladesh grabbed the top place in South Asia, the boys and girls beating their competitors from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Our young girls and boys stood first in South Asia and 33rd in the world's 56th Math Olympiad. It is heartening to see such results of the hard work and perseverance by the organisers and the mentors.

Bangladesh has taken part in the International Math Olympiad (IMO) for 11 consecutive times. This year 114 countries participated. The contest took place in Chiang Mai of Thailand. Bangladesh won a silver medal, three bronzes and a special mention. Bangladesh Math Olympiad Committee worked tirelessly, scouting for the best math talents of the country and also arousing interest in math. Prothom Alo held regional math festivals, sponsored by Dutch-Bangla Bank. This popularised math among the students.

Students' mathematical talents does not end in the prizes alone. Many Olympiad winners have graduated with scholarships from Havard, MIT, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge and other such world renowned universities. Bangladesh has carved a niche for itself in scientific research and mathematical acumen.

It is often said that Bangladeshi students are more of thinkers than mathematicians. But their performance year after year in the Math Olympiad has broken such concepts. Math is in demand in all spheres today, whether in science and research, technology and business. It is indeed a matter of joy that Bangladeshi students have made a place for themselves in the world of math. We congratulate them.