A vocational school student in China who finished near the top in the preliminary round of a prestigious math contest received assistance from her teacher in violation of the rules, the organizers revealed this week. An investigation determined that the math teacher’s help broke a “no discussion with others” rule, the Global Mathematics Competition Organizing Committee stated on Sunday. The extent of the impact of this assistance remains unclear.
Jiang Ping, a teenager studying fashion design, gained national fame when she placed 12th in the preliminary round of the competition, which attracts graduates from top universities including Cambridge, MIT, and Caltech. Her image was prominently displayed on shopping mall walls in her hometown in Jiangsu province. Two major universities in the region praised her achievements on social media.
However, doubts began to surface on social media about a week later. Observers pointed out irregularities on a blackboard Jiang used to demonstrate her mathematical prowess during an interview with state broadcaster CCTV.
Teacher violated rules in math contest
The Jiangsu Lianjiang Vocational School, where Jiang studies, announced that the teacher involved, Wang Runqiu, had received an official admonishment. Wang will be ineligible for any evaluations that could lead to raises or promotions for a year. The school did not impose any penalty on Jiang and called for the public to show “more tolerance and care” towards her as she is a minor.
The competition was designed to identify and nurture students with a passion for mathematics. The preliminary round was an open-book exam permitting the use of various resources, but explicitly forbidding discussion with others. The organizing committee stated that the investigation revealed weaknesses such as an imperfect competition system and lack of rigorous management, for which they expressed sincere apologies.
Both Wang and Jiang qualified for the final round of 802 competitors but did not rank among the 86 winners. Attempts to contact them were unsuccessful, and the contest organizer did not respond to an email inquiry.
