Six Hong Kong students will take part in the International Mathematical Olympiad next month in South Africa.
The team will consist of Form Four student Yu Hoi-wai and Form Six students Hui Pak-nam and Wong Hing-shing of La Salle College; Form Four student Cheung Wai-lam of Queen Elizabeth School; Form Five student Lau Chen-ting of Diocesan Boys' School; and Form Six student Wong Sze-ngar of Diocesan Girls' School. They will be coached by Dr Leung Tat-wing of the Vocational Training Council.
To make the team, students went through tough training for about a year to get used to different types of mathematical problems.
"It is totally different from what we learn in maths classes. We are trained to become more open-minded while we solve our problems," says Pak-nam.
Hing-shing said: "We are also encouraged to discuss our problems during the training, which gives us a chance to exchange ideas and improve communication skills. We also have to know more in-depth theories before we attempt to solve the questions, because logic is important when we deal with the problems."
Luk Mee-lin, head of the programme and logistics panel of the 2016 Olympiad organising committee, said the competition can help boost students' interest in maths as well as improve their problem-solving skills.
What's more, students get a chance to exchange ideas with other teenagers and learn about advanced mathematical theories, Luk said.