The proposed South East Maths Olympiad has attracted registrations from 1327 schools across the five states of the South East region.
Convener of the Maths Quiz, Alex Onyia, revealed this in a statement shared on X, hailing the impressive turnout so far while calling on Abia state to get more involved. According to Onyia, Enugu leads the index with 469 schools, followed closely by Anambra State with 305 schools.
Ebonyi and Imo states were represented by 249 and 313 schools, respectively, while Abia state had the fewest schools, polling only 91 schools in the competition.
Onyia explained that the competition will be intense but will benefit every participant. The South East Maths Olympiad looks to stimulate competition while promoting the maths subject amongst students. Maths is a STEM subject, and it’s a key requirement for many new-age careers in demand today.
Onyia hopes to promote STEM in the Southeast region, and the maths competition is his first move towards the grand project.
Competition Timeline, Mode, and Reward
In an earlier post, the South East Maths Olympiad convener shared the timeline leading up to the day of the main exam for proper clarification on the program. According to Onyia, registrations end on the 31st of January, and this is followed by a mock exam taking place on 24th February 2026.
A stage four exam follows four days later, with the final and main exam taking place on March 7th, 2026. Afia Tv is slated to provide publicity by broadcasting the competition live on its channel. The maths competition represents the largest educational competition organised in the region in recent times.
Speaking on the Mode of the exam, Onyia revealed that the exam would be 100% computerised to optimise for transparency and accuracy. The questions will reflect a mix of British and Nigerian curricula, combining the best of both programs and adding to the quality of the examination.
In an earlier report, infoeast revealed the reward mechanism for the maths competition and the manner in which the prize pool money will be distributed to top participants. The best performing students in the competition would receive cash prizes ranging from N5 million for the Senior category, N3 million for the Junior Category, and N2 million for the Primary category.
The bulk of the prize pool money was raised via fundraising and donations from education enthusiasts, who constitute the bulk of Alex Onyia’s 73,000 followers on X
The ISEE Initiative and the fight against illiteracy
The Intervention for South East Education (ISEE), spearheaded by Alex Onyia, is a community-driven philanthropic model designed to raise funds to eradicate illiteracy and modernise education in Southeast Nigeria.
The entire initiative stems from the notion that government funds alone cannot float standard education and should be complemented by private funds donated by education enthusiasts.
ISEE encourages both locals and the diaspora to make small, monthly pledges to fund high-impact school projects like the renovation of schools and libraries. The funds are also for the introduction of a STEM curriculum that exposes children to the world-class standard of education, preparing them for the global market.
A core part of the ISEE mission is a 12-month action plan that seeks to identify every out-of-school child in the Southeast and facilitate their return to the classroom through community-led enrollment drives and scholarship funds.
The ISEE mission runs a public ledger where donations are openly accounted for and can be seen by everybody. At press time, ISEE has raised N22.7 million from donations from its community, which it calls villagers.
