Irish pupil tops in global problem-solving challenge

A pupil at a West Cork primary school has come in the top 1% of 750,000 children worldwide who took part in an online problem-solving challenge programme.

In all, 13 pupils at Saint Matthias’ Church of Ireland National School in Ballydehob received certificates for their high placings in the worldwide Bebras Challenge, which introduces children to the basics of problem solving and computer science.

One student came in what school principal, Ian Haseldine, said was the “first percentile” worldwide, while other pupils came in the top 26th percentile and others in the top 36th percentile.