Students from Afghanistan managed to secure at least 14 medals from the 22nd UCMAS Abacus & Mental Arithmetic International Competition, which was held on December 9 and 10 in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
Fourteen students from Afghanistan took part in the event, one student came first, four gained second position and nine others in third.
Five of the 14-member Afghan team are girls.
“We represented Afghanistan in these competitions in the city of Kuala Lumpur. I gained first position and hoisted the flag of Afghanistan in Malaysia,” said one participant, Erfan Farman.
“All questions were related to mathematics,” said Seyayesh Obaidi, also a participant.
“We call on government institutions, particularly the ministry of education to pave the way for the expansion of these activities in all regions of the country. UCMAS center in Herat is fully prepared to expand UCMAS activities all over Afghanistan,” said Mahmoud Rezayee, head of UCMAS center in Herat.
“I wish in the coming years, we can get students, not only from Herat, but from other provinces of the country including Farah, Kabul, Kandahar and all others in Afghanistan, to participate in these events. I pray to God that lasting peace is restored in Afghanistan so that we can have a better education and have a better life in the country,” said second position holder, Haroon Farman.
Background
As a global brand, UCMAS is the largest worldwide skill development program promoting the universal concept of a mental arithmetic system for children between the ages of 6 and 13. Operational in 52 countries, UCMAS has trained more than a million students worldwide and about 25,000 students across 27 centers in the United Arab Emirates since its inception in 2003.
The UCMAS approach promotes holistic brain development and establishes core skills that greatly enhance the learning experience of the child with the aim of bringing out the best in every child. UCMAS is one of the programs promoted by Abacus Quest Point (AQP), a company registered in the UAE and part of ARK Global Venture, a holding company registered in the United Kingdom. Other programs promoted by AQP include DinoArt, Robotics and Vegaamath.
Origins of the Program
Universal Concept of Mental Arithmetic System is a skills development program that aims to bring out the best in every child. The program originated in Malaysia and is now taught in more than 40 countries. UCMAS focuses on producing tangible results, enhancing creativity, concentration and confidence.
UCMAS was introduced in the UAE in 2003 by Mrs Soundari Raj. It started as a small start-up venture and is now being taught in over 27 different centers across the UAE and Oman.
The Abacus (Mental Arithmetic)
The human brain is made of two hemispheres, the right and left. The left brain, which is associated with logic and analytical processing, is well-developed in most children through the regular school curriculum. However, the right brain, which is the seat of intelligence associated largely to increased learning ability, concentration, perceptual capabilities and imaging skills, is not so well-developed. UCMAS is a program which aims to develop and exploit the capabilities of the right brain to the fullest extent possible, through mental arithmetic.