The Department of Mathematics within the Faculty of Science at the University of Malta in collaboration with The Directorate for Learning and Assessment organised a Mathematics Circle for Form 5 students. Six sessions of 2.5 hours each were spread over the months of October, November and December 2017. These consisted of problem solving exercises which go beyond the school curricula and were aimed at students who have an interest and keen aptitude in Mathematics. Heads of Schools were requested to nominate not more than four Form 5 students who were interested to participate. Approximately 60 students coming from twenty-three different state, church and private schools from all over Malta attended on a regular basis for these sessions. Those students who attended at least four of the six sessions were awarded a Certificate of Participation. These certificates were given during a get-together which was held immediately after the last session on the 2nd December 2017. This initiative was offered to the students entirely free of charge.
The Department of Mathematics started the Mathematics Circle last year in 2016 and organised two groups of sessions directed at students who were in the 1st year of Sixth Form. Starting from this year, the Mathematics Circle consists of sessions for 1st year 6th Form students in the first half of the year and sessions for 5th Former students in the second half of the year. This constitutes a good continuation to the mathematical sessions held by The Directorate for Learning and Assessment for Form 4 students with the objective of making Mathematics more appealing and interesting to students.