SJIS Flies Malaysian Flag for Success in International Maths Competition

KUALA
LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach –
28 February 2019 – The
inaugural edition of the Singapore Math Team Global Challenge (SINGA) was held
in Kuala Lumpur, with hundreds of students from over 15 countries in Asia in
attendance. The event took place from 17-19^th November 2018 and the
results were announced in January, with local private institution St. John’s
International School receiving some top honours in the Individual and Team
categories.

Much
more than a ‘pop quiz’, SINGA introduces an exciting and ambitious competition
for mathematics students, with individual and team-based problem solving
challenges. The contest aims to encourage rich exploration of mathematics
through discussion and debate, as well as inspire students to gain intellectual
confidence and a passion for learning.

Since
the 1980s, the “Singapore method” for mathematics has been hailed as one of the
leading learning methodologies in the world. Developed using behavioural
science research and influenced by educational psychologists, the system was
designed with a strong emphasis on problem solving, and modelling mathematical
problems using visual aids. The SINGA competition questions reflected the
Singapore school system, noted for the high content of High Order Thinking
Skills (HOTS).

Malaysian
students certainly weren’t there just to make up the numbers, however. Local
private school SJIS managed to bag 1 Gold, 3 Silver and 3 Bronze Awards. In the
SINGA Individual Category, Ewan Koay Chien Liang (Year 11) grabbed a Gold
Award, with two students — Tan Jia Jun (Y11) and Wayan Wong Jian Wei (Y10) —
securing Silver Awards.

SJIS
kept up the good work in the SINGA Team Category: Wayan Wong Jian Wei won the
Silver Award, with Ewan Koay, Tan Jia Jun and Brandon Tan (all Y11) bagging the
Bronze. The school’s incentive plan awarded each of these students a generous cash
prize relative to their performance. SJIS prides itself on a holistic education
and excellent scholastic tradition, an approach which surely contributed to
success in a competition with challenges that went “beyond the classroom”.

The
students’ success is a boon for both SJIS and education in Malaysia. As more
emphasis is placed on the teaching and learning of Science, Technology,
Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) education in our country, it is heartening
to see local students achieve success against international competition.

SINGA is
organised by some of the most prestigious names in the Singapore education
field: Miss Foo Pau Choo, Dean of the Singapore Scholastic Trust Teachers’
Institute (SSTTI), Mr Henry Ong, President of the Singapore Scholastic Trust
(SST) & Founder of the Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad (SASMO),
and Merlan Nagidulin, General Manager of the Singapore International Math
Contests Centre (SIMCC).

St. John’s International School or SJIS is a
private-funded International School that is an associate La Salle School in
collaboration with the La Salle Brothers in Malaysia. SJIS presents a new
milieu for students from different cultures and backgrounds to be nurtured in
education, sports and extra-curricular activities excellence. Members of SJIS
faculty are discerningly selected for their top academic qualifications and
methodical competencies. They are chosen for their penchant in the scholastic
care of students, and in the consistency in maintaining updated knowledge and
practice.