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Nan Chiau High School

数学人才教育 Mathematics Talent Programme

Discover how the Mathematics Talent Programme nurtures gifted students through Olympiad training, competitions, and university seminars over three years.

Last updated 29 June 2026

Mathematics Talent Programme is a 3 years programme that aims to stretch the potential of high ability learners in Mathematics.

Selected students are invited to the programme in Secondary One if they have:

  • a strong PSLE grade for Mathematics and/or

  • relevant past achievements in Math Olympiad Competitions or trainings in their primary schools.

Students may also be invited to join the programme in Secondary Two or Three upon recommendations by their mathematics teachers. 

Mathematics Talent Programme Overview

Students in the Mathematics Talent Programme can look forward to participation in the following activities: 

  1. Mathematics Olympiad Trainings

For each academic year, students in the programme undergo approximately 10 training sessions. These training sessions are conducted by external trainers who have had many years of experience in conducting Mathematical Olympiad trainings. These training sessions provide opportunities for students to challenge themselves beyond the school curriculum, exploring interesting broad concepts such as combinatorics, number theory, mathematical proof and induction. Students then apply these concepts to solve Olympiad problems with confidence and creativity. In each training session, the trainers aim to provide suitable classroom activities to engage students in problem solving and developing as critical thinkers.

Students in blue uniforms sit at desks facing a teacher writing on a whiteboard at the front of a classroom.
Person in a red striped shirt writing a network diagram on a large whiteboard in a classroom.

2. Competitions

Having mastered the skills to tackle Mathematical Olympiad problems, students in the Talent Programme will represent the school in two Mathematical Olympiad competitions:

  • Singapore and Asian Schools Mathematical Olympiad (SASMO)

  • Singapore Mathematical Olympiad (SMO) 

Each year, students from the Mathematics Talent Programme achieved good results in these competitions.

A large group of uniformed students stand on outdoor school steps, several holding certificates and wearing red medal ribbons.
A group of masked students in school uniforms stand together holding certificates and wearing medals indoors.
Students in blue uniforms and masks stand in rows outdoors, each holding a certificate or award.

3. Invitation to seminars 

The Mathematics Talent Programme has a broader aim to start students on a trail to understanding mathematics and its application at higher institutional levels, so that they can take that understanding and use them in their future. Students in the programme get the opportunity to participate in seminars held in universities to deepen their interest for mathematics.

A group of students and a teacher smiling and posing in a lecture hall with green chairs.
A large audience sits in rows of chairs in a lecture hall, facing a speaker standing near a projected screen.
Students in blue uniforms sit spaced apart in a lecture hall watching a projected presentation on a screen.

4. Mathematics related school events 

The Mathematics Talent Programme also provide opportunities for students to pick up leadership and teamwork skills, which are essential life skills in the globalized economy of today. Students in the programme assist teachers in planning and facilitating Mathematics game booths at school events.

Five students in school uniforms sit on a wooden floor, working together on a craft project with an orange balloon.