Why are maths competitions on the rise in Central Asia?

Maths competitions are booming in Central Asia, with thousands of young people participating in olympiads in countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

The region has a proud history of mathematics. Al-Khwarizmi, a 9th-century scholar known as the "father of algebra", was born in Khiva, a city in modern-day Uzbekistan.

The subject was also important during the USSR's rule over the region, as maths was viewed as a strategic asset during the Cold War's arms and space race.

Although Central Asian countries have long placed special emphasis on STEM subjects including maths, they currently do not excel in international rankings.

In fact, Kazakhstan is the only country in the region which consistently ranks within the first 30 countries at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).

That could be about to change with the rise of maths competitions in Central Asia, which now include Turkmenistan's Open Mathematics Olympiad for University Students and Kazakhstan's International Zhautykov Olympiad.

Last year, Nordic International University in Uzbekistan launched the Tashkent International Mathematics Olympiad (TASIMO).

Sherzod Mustafakulov, the university's rector, believes such competitions will be good for the region's economic development.

“Olympiads, especially mathematical ones, stimulate socio-economic development primarily by improving the quality of human capital,” Mustafakulov said.

“They identify and nurture talented young people capable of innovation and solving complex problems, which is critical for progress in science, technology and the economy," he added.

Indeed, studies have shown a strong correlation between participation in STEM competitions and future career success.

A study conducted by St John’s University in New York and the University of Helsinki which tracked 1,093 students over 11 years found that, alongside a conducive home environment and personal motivation, specialised programmes and competitions played a crucial role in fostering long-term engagement in STEM fields.

Mustafakulov said his university had invited mathematics professors from across the world to TASIMO and had introduced challenging problems "which attracted participants from all over Eurasia".

"We are also working with the IMO from Romania to share our experience and further improve the quality level of the competition," he said.