Society formed to kill 'Mathphobia'

Aizawl, July 17 (UNI) With a view to helping Mizo students, whom suffer from 'Mathematics-phobia', the Mizoram Mathematics Society (MMS) has been formed.

The MMS would make its presence felt by conducting the first ever state level Mathematics competition on October 20. This would be followed by a promotion campaign for the ''dreaded'' subject.

''Students are afraid of Mathematics. We are trying to dispel these fears. There is no reason why Mizos cannot learn Mathematics.

Majority of Mizo students feel ashamed of not knowing English but not Mathematics. We have to change this attitude. Parents should also try to find out the root cause of why their children find it hard to learn Mathematics,'' President of the newly-formed MMS Dr L N Tluanga urged.

''Mathematics is like a chain that requires step by step understanding, once that is achieved, it is fun. The technique of teaching is crucial in order to make students hooked to Mathematics.

The competition aims to promote Mathematics among the students,'' Dr Tluanga added.

Meanwhile, the fear of Mathematics was one of the major culprits behind the high percentage of high school dropouts in Mizoram, which is very clear from the fact that most compartments in the HSLC results had been caused by Mathematics.

''It is the main cause of low aggregate marks in the HSLC. As soon as the students pass class X, they tend to bid goodbye to Mathematics but it causes problems for them in the competitive examinations,'' Dr Tluanga said.

''The Mathematics competition will be meant for students of Class VII and X separately for English medium and Mizo medium schools. The competition is part of the Mathematics promotion campaign,'' he added.

UNI