BEIJING: A student at a vocational school who had been recognized for her exceptional math skills after outperforming prestigious university graduates in the preliminary round of a high-stakes competition was found to have been assisted by her teacher during the exam.
In a terse statement released on Sunday, the organizing committee of the Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition, which offers a $30,000 prize for gold medal winners, announced that fashion design major Jiang Ping, 17, had received help from her teacher, Wang Runqiu, during the preliminary round.
Wang and Jiang had advanced to the competition’s final round together. The pair, from Lianshui Secondary Vocational School in Jiangsu province, had breached a rule prohibiting discussions with other test-takers during the open-book exam, which took place in April, the committee confirmed.
Organized by the Alibaba Foundation and the technology-driven DAMO Academy — both associated with e-commerce giant Alibaba Group — the event has attracted widespread attention.
Having emerged as the sole vocational school student among 801 participants worldwide to make it to the finals, the schoolgirl from a rural family in Jiangsu became an instant media sensation this summer.
Her story has also raised discussions about stereotypes faced by women in science studies and an education system that restricts vocational high school graduates’ access to mainstream universities.
Jiang ranked 12th in the preliminary round, but neither she nor Wang placed among the winners in the final round in June, which required a closed-book exam, the committee said on Sunday. “This incident has brought to light issues such as flaws in the competition system and inadequate management. The organizing committee extends its sincere apologies for this,” the statement said.
The official list of the competition’s winners was unveiled on Sunday. Eighty-six participants were honored, with five winning gold medals, 10 getting silver and 20 netting bronze. The remaining 51 received honorable mentions. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
