Voicing concern over the dwindling number of competent mathematicians in the country, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday declared that year 2012 would be observed as the National Mathematical Year. Speaking at the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of noted mathematician Srinivas Ramanujan, here, he said the activities planned in the National Mathematical Year would focus on promotion of mathematics at all levels ? from schools to cutting-edge research.
?As a tribute to the great mathematician Ramanujam, our government has decided to declare his birthday, that is December 22, as the National Mathematics Day and the year 2012 as a whole as the National Mathematical Year. India has a long and glorious tradition of mathematics that we need to encourage and nurture. I hope these steps will help in providing the additional impetus to the study of mathematics in our country, apart from making our people more aware of the work of Ramanujan,? he said.
Describing the current state of mathematics studies in the country discouraging, he said that over more than the last three decades many young men and women with a natural ability in mathematics have not pursued the discipline at advanced levels. This has also resulted in a decline in the quality of our mathematics teachers both at the school and college levels.