UCMAS national competition held in Accra

The Universal Concept Mental Arithmetic System (UCMAS) National Competition was on Saturday held in Accra.

The competition, the fourth in a series, involved children between the ages of four and 14 years, and it’s held annually for schools and centres which run the UCMAS Programme.

Mr Girish Gurbani, National Director of UCMAS, said the programme tends to develop the brain of children during the formative years of four to 14.

He said the benefit of the programme includes improved photographic memory and listening skills, concentration, confidence, Imagination skills, outstanding creativity, speed and accuracy, arithmetic skills and all round academic proficiency.

Mr Gurbani said the programme gradually eradicates the mathematics phobia of Ghanaian children, and that, the performance of students learning the UCMAS are on the pedestal of achieving enviable academic laurels.

He said last year, a Ghanaian pupil, Kobena Asamoah Amoah, won the national title and proceeded to win the world title and expressed the hope that many more students from Ghana will win international awards.

Mr Gurbani thanked the Accra Metropolitan Education Service and all heads and representatives of schools and parents for their contribution towards the programme.

Madam Barnara Boadu, Officer in-charge of the five Garrison Schools on behalf of the Metro Director of Education, Mr Albert Kofi Osei, said the programme was highly commended by the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES).

She noted that it will be laudable if the programme is introduced into the curriculum of public schools and appealed to the GES to consider the proposal. Trophies and certificates were presented to pupils, who excelled in the competition.

UCMAS is a global education group, established in 1993 by Professor Dr Din Wong and currently in about 54 countries. It started operations in Ghana in 2007 in only Accra, but now in other regions of the country.