The regional round of the 17th National Undergraduate Mathematics Olympiad for the Dhaka-South region was held for the first time at Comilla University (CoU) on Friday, with 118 students from different universities and educational institutions taking part.

The event began around 9:30am at the university’s badminton court with the hoisting of the national flag.

According to the organisers, 140 students registered for the competition from educational institutions across Dhaka city and districts including Munshiganj, Narayanganj, Cumilla, Brahmanbaria and Narsingdi. Of them, 118 participated in the examination.

The top 10 performers from each regional round will qualify for the national final. A total of 80 contestants from eight regions will compete at the national level, with the top 10 eventually getting the opportunity to represent Bangladesh in an international mathematics competition.

Speaking at the event, CoU Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Mohammad Amjad Hossain Sarkar said mathematics was a subject of international importance and praised the Department of Mathematics for organising the competition.

He said such initiatives would allow students to showcase their talents and represent the country at different levels.

Vice-Chancellor Professor M M Shariful Karim said this was the first time the university had hosted the event. He appreciated the organising committee and said the initiative would create opportunities for students to represent the university at national and international levels.