Experts highlight role of mathematics in everyday life.

KARACHI -- The connections of mathematics with life were highlighted as the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) and The Dawood Foundation's (TDF) MagnifiScience Centre joined hands to hold a two-day online and in-person conference - Mathematics for EVERYONE - to commemorate International Day of Mathematics (IDM).

The event concluded on Tuesday.

The first day of the conference was held in person and included several interactive sessions, math displays, learning activities and workshops. All sessions on Tuesday were held online.

During the conference, Dr Nusrat F. Rizvi said: 'This year's theme emphasises that mathematics is not confined to classrooms, textbooks, or teachers' minds. Rather it is embedded in all sorts of human experiences. This requires teachers to reflect on how they can provide practical learning experiences to their students.'

Karima Esmail, co-author of Dynamo Maths, discussed a predicament that a large number of the world population faces when it comes to understanding mathematics, saying that 'The key is to understand that there's a difference between simple math developmental delays and dyscalculia. With proper identification and then intentional and purposeful intervention, it is possible to make headway in treating it as well as saving suffering individuals from a world of distress.'

Dr Andreas Matt of IMAGINARY, a non-profit organisation for the communication of current research in mathematics based in Berlin, delivered one of the keynote addresses on the topic of 'Let's play with Artificial Intelligence!'

'For me, mathematics is not only a universal language we all speak, but it also is a common base of reasoning, of connecting ideas and understanding, and of asking questions, that nobody has answered yet...