Pinoy math educator receives int'l award

MANILA, Philippines - Top Filipino math educator Dr. Simon Chua, president of the Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines, was again given an international award, the B.H. Neumann Award in Australia, for his efforts in training young Filipino math wizards for international competitions.

Chua, a co-founder of MTG-Philippines, received the award from the Australian Mathematics Trust (AMT) in a ceremony held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Alice Springs in Northern Territory, Australia, on July 2.

Chua is the first Filipino to get the BH Neumann Award, named in honor of the late Professor Bernhard H. Neumann, a British mathematician who “provided outstanding leadership, support and encouragement for mathematics and the teaching of mathematics at all levels” in Australia.

He was also the first Filipino to receive the Paul Erdos Award in mathematics in 2006 given by the World Federation of National Mathematics Competitions (WFNMC).

“This award represents the hard work of the Mathematics Trainers Guild in the last 15 years to hone Filipino students and uplift the quality of math education in the country,” Chua said.

MTG-trained students have won scores of medals abroad, becoming the country’s pride in mathematics.

Since 1995, the MTG has been training and sending Filipino students to international math competitions in various countries like the United States, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia andThailand.

The Australian Mathematics Trust said the BH Neumann Awards “are presented each year for important contributions over many years to the enrichment of mathematics learning in Australia and its region”.