The International Mathematics Competition/Contest (IMC) for primary school and junior secondary school learners (not to be confused with the IMC for undergraduate students) started in 1998 and has now been hosted annually in its current form (high school and primary school contests together as one event), since 2010. Previous hosts include Taiwan, China, South Korea, Bulgaria, Thailand and India. South Africa hosted in 2009 and 2019. A comprehensive list can be found on our IMC Host Countries page. More information on the IMC can also be found at the official IMC website.

Until 2018, the South African teams consisted of provincial teams – KwaZulu-Natal (organised by Ms. Kitty Phillips), Western Cape (organised by Elkanah House), Free State / Northern Cape (organised by Dr. Elsie Schoombie and Dr. Anelize van Biljon) and sometimes teams from Gauteng or Eastern Cape. In 2019 two nationally selected teams (organized by Ms. Kitty Phillips and Phil Labuschagne) were entered for both the primary school and junior secondary school divisions, as well as a few provincial teams.

At the start of 2021, organisers from these areas started working together from the beginning to select and train national teams. For this purpose, JIMCOBSA (Junior International Mathematics Competition Organising Body for SA) a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) was established to handle the administration associated with this process. JIMCOBSA continued past the 2021 IMC with the aim of organizing, selecting and training the future national teams for IMC.

JIMCOBSA Goals:
  1. Organize the participation of national teams in IMC.
  2. Select national teams in an open and transparent manner.
  3. Provide the national teams with a sufficient amount of training. This consists of two parts. The first part is to ensure that all team members have enough training so as to not feel completely overwhelmed with the level of the IMC exams/papers (in both subject knowledge as well as mental strength). The second part is to provide enough training that would enable South African team members to win medals and awards on a consistent basis and also aim for the higher award brackets (e.g. aim for gold and silver level instead of just bronze and merit).
  4. Provide and facilitate long-term and broader training across the country that is not just open to team members but to all other learners who are passionate about mathematics and would like to improve themselves (and possibly try out for the national teams in future years if so inclined).

JIMCOBSA Directors:
  • Ms. Kitty Phillips
  • Dr. Elsie Schoombie
  • Phil Labuschagne

JIMCOBSA NPO Registration:
  • Registration Number: 2021 / 410041 / 08
  • Enterprise Name: JIMCOBSA

JIMCOBSA Contact Details:
  • Email: jimcobsa@gmail.com
  • Cell: 082 92 666 74
  • Postal Address: PO Box 43867, PO Heuwelsig, 9332
Last modified: Thursday, 9 February 2023, 12:14 PM