I spent my first entry on making brief introductions about myself, how Training Day came about, and about the selection process being done in the Mathematics Trainers’ Guild. I also delved a little bit into the first step of the selection process – the MTG Qualifying Examinations. I then promised to write about the next three steps of this process on my next article (this one). So without further ado…

Those who pass the MTG Qualifying Examinations are given an invitation to join the MTG Mathematics Challenge for Filipino Kids Training Program. This is a special training program held for twelve Saturday mornings during the entire school year. It is held in the various MTG training centers all over the country.

Participants of the MTG Mathematics Challenge for Filipino Kids Training Program would get to experience many things. They would get to learn many advanced and special topics in math. They would encounter – and more importantly, learn how to deal with – interesting and challenging math problems. They would also get to meet lots of new friends, as they would be alongside math wizards from other schools, and possibly taught by top math teachers from other schools as well. Finally, even this early, they would be able to participate in some of the largest international mathematics competitions done through correspondence. Examples of these are the Australian Mathematics Competition and the Mathematics Olympiad for Elementary and Middle Schools – USA.

The top students of the MTG Mathematics Challenge for Filipino Kids Training Program, based on their performance in it, would then advance to the next stage. This is the MTG Young Mathematicians’ Intensive In-House Training Program. Only several hundred students from around the country could get this far. The qualifiers for this stage would converge in a single location, away from the comforts of their own homes, for one week. This occurs early during the summer, in around March. Previous venues of the In-House Training include Subic, Cebu, and Davao.

The In-House Training is the final stage where there is an elimination, so expect this one to be the toughest. Aside from tackling harder topics, the training also runs from morning until night for three to four days straight. However, this doesn’t take away the fact that it wouldn’t be a memorable experience. There are several activities, such as the cultural presentation, to give the participants something to enjoy aside from the lessons. Then, with the participants coming from different areas around the country, this is the perfect opportunity to meet new friends. In fact, since everyone would be staying in the same place during the entire week, there would be a lot of time to interact and bond with one another.

Finally, we get to the final stage, the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Training Program. Those who reached this stage have proven that they are among the best, as they survived three intense stages of elimination. Not more than a hundred get this far, but those who do get in are automatically part of the Philippine team to be sent to different mathematics competitions abroad. The Summer Training goes for six days a week during the summer and carries on every Saturday once the school year starts. Just like in the previous stages, the lessons here are turned up a notch again. This gives the participants the necessary preparations for whichever competition they are participating in. The MTG goes to and competes in different countries each year. Some of the venues lined up for this year are China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Taiwan.

Currently, the MTG is in the final weeks of its final stage. The training venue is Chiang Kai Shek College. There are only four more competitions lined up for our students to join. After that, the selection process starts all over again. It has turned out to be a fairly good year for the MTG, as our students have been racking major awards in these competitions. But I’ll talk about it next time. I’m about to end this entry.

To close this, I want to congratulate the MTG’s four-member delegation to the 2nd Southeast China Mathematical Olympiad. They brought home three bronze medals and one merit award. I’ll write an article about that one once I get the details. Then, I also send my best wishes to the MTG’s sixteen-member squad competing right now at the 9th Po Leung Kuk Primary Mathematics World Contest in Hong Kong. Good luck!