Primary school pupils are pitting their numerical wits against each other this morning in the first citywide contest based on an Australian system to test practical mathematics skills.
Nearly 500 Primary Four to Primary Six students from 123 schools are taking part in the first Hong Kong Primary Schools Maths Trail Competition, to be held simultaneously at four locations in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories.
Competing in teams of four, the students need to complete a series of 15 problems scattered around the schools' campuses. They will need to use teamwork and problem-solving skills to find ways to carry out tasks such as estimating the height of a building or the area of a room using only simple tools.
The top 20 teams of number-crunchers will go on to meet in a final on April 29.
Developed by Australian educator Dudley Blane, the 'maths trail' competition uses practical, fun outdoor problems to show students the relevance of mathematics in everyday life.
'This is a kind of innovative means to let students become active learners and to find mathematics in their real lives,' said Percy Kwok Lai-in, principal of Pui Ching Education Centre, which organised the competition.