The trio of Master Honour Olatunji, Master Daniel-Aguebor Emmanuel Jesutobiloba and Master Olatunde Oluwasemilore Olaposi have emerged top in the world in Mathematics at the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education IGCSE, the British Council has said.They were honoured Friday night at the Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos, along side other 63 awardees in a ceremony well attended by many stakeholders in the sector. Leading universities and employers worldwide accept Cambridge IGCSE as evidence of academic ability. Master Honour Olatunji, student of Greensprings School, Lagos emerged top in the world at the 2016 Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics. In his response to the award, Olatunji said: “I love mathematics.” Finding out about my award did not just make me joyful, but also increased my love and passion for mathematics!“ I found the Cambridge IGCSE curriculum very interesting because it is skills-based and makes you think critically.“It was really helpful in exposing and preparing me to do well in international schools and universities in future. Also, I enjoyed the privileged of highly competent and committed teachers.”Olatunji who urged learners to start exams preparations early, noted that early preparation makes your exams stress free.“ My first advice to other learners is to start preparing early; I started preparing for my Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics four months early. “This makes your preparation stress-free. Also, practise a lot of past questions and learn from your mistakes. Finding a study partner would be very helpful too,” he said. In his future plan, he said: “I plan on applying to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or Stanford University to study Electrical/Electronic Engineering. Similarly, in 2015 categories, Master Daniel-Aguebor Emmanuel Jesutobiloba, a student from The Ambassador College, Ota also emerged top in the World at the Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics. In his remark, he said: “I gave the exams a 100% focus and made sure I covered my textbooks and schemes. Also, my teachers taught me in easy-to-understand and interesting ways.“I find Cambridge interesting because I got to see learning in a more practical and exciting way, which taught me to think more critically, to solve real life problems more effectively, and to be passionate about learning. It was also challenging, because it was different from the normal curriculum I had been exposed to for years.”He urged students to acquire knowledge through in-depth learning, and not just reading to pass tests. “I have been accepted to study Electrical Engineering at university,” he disclosed. Besides, Master Olatunde Oluwasemilore Olaposi, student of The Ambassador College, Ota also came top in the World, Cambridge IGCSE in Mathematics in the Nov 2015.He said: “The Cambridge IGCSE programme was quite demanding and yet interesting. It made me realise that education was more than just gathering information – it was about being able to apply it to challenges in the real world. I had teachers who were always there to help me through aspects I did not understand well and provide enough past questions to work on.“ I advice learners to put in their very best as they prepare for the exams, realising that the knowledge gained will go beyond receiving a certificate from Cambridge.”Top in the world were 8, top in Nigeria, 55 and the best across were 3. On the whole, a total of 66 were honored by the British Council at the outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards for the November 2015 and June 2016 examination series. The award night was grace by Country Director, British Council Nigeria, Connie Price, British High Commissioner, representedby Andrew Davidson, Deputy Head of Nigeria,Janet Morris, Director, International Network Cambridge and former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, among others.
