Over Two Million Students Expected to Participate in the World's Largest Education Event

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Feb 03, 2011, 01:09 ET

NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Registration is open! Students across the U.S. are preparing to join millions from across the world to participate in the largest online math competition during World Math Day 2011 on February 28.

World Math Day is the world's largest education event, with 2.5 million students from 55,000 schools in 235 countries expected to compete in real time against other international students on the World Math Day website. The event encourages students of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to have a go at math in a fun and interactive way. The event runs for 48 hours; as long as it is March 1 somewhere in the world (in the U.S., beginning on February 28). Participation is free - all you need is internet access.

Peter Walters, CEO of 3P Learning, creator and host of the annual event, said, "World Math Day has been created to change the way kids perceive math, putting it into an arena previously reserved for sport."

This year, World Math Day and UNICEF joined forces to harness the potential of the day and help give children around the world access to quality learning. Family and friends will sponsor their children in helping their school correctly answer more than 5,000 questions on the day. Fifty percent of funds raised will go to each school to spend on educational resources and technology; the other half will be contributed to UNICEF's Quality Educational Programs.

"In 2010, close to 2.5 million students from 236 countries correctly answered more than 479 million questions. We're encouraging students and schools to register, start practicing, and help us beat last year's record," said Scott Flansburg, Guinness World Record holder for being the Fastest Human Calculator, and Global Ambassador for World Math Day 2011.

Flansburg continued, "Whether you're organizing a school event, taking part at home, or on your iPhone or iPod Touch, World Math Day is an exciting way to get involved in math. Visit www.worldmathday.com to register, and get practicing!"

World Math Day is powered by Mathletics, the learning platform from 3P Learning, the global leader in online mathematics education for school-aged students.

SOURCE 3P Learning