UAE ‘human calculators’ win big at mental maths showdown

Dubai: Students from the UAE have won top awards at the recent 23rd UCMAS International Competition for mental maths held in Malaysia.

All of the 30 UAE students, aged between seven and 12, bagged prizes in the mental math visual and listening competitions, categorised in eight different levels.

Indian student Archita Pal, 9, won the championship in the visual category at the intermediate level, answering no less than 200 challenging math questions in a matter of just eight minutes. Her sister Asmita Pal bagged the first runner up award in the grand level category.

Another nine-year-old, Emirati girl Maha Omar Saleh Al Sarkal, achieved third position among hundreds of students. The other 27 students also won first, second and third runners-up in various levels.

The contest of UCMAS — Universal Concept of Mental Arithmetic System — saw 3,000 competitors from 40 countries across the world. It was held in Selangor, Malaysia.

UCMAS is designed for children between six and 12 years of age. The programme offers various levels in which students explore their speed accuracy, concentration and reasoning skills. Originating in Malaysia, UCMAS was introduced in the UAE in 2003 and is now being taught in over 30 different centres across the UAE. UCMAS is also taught in more than 80 countries.

V.G. Soundari Raj, Managing Director, UCMAS UAE, said: “This resounding win by UAE students reflects the high standard of education offered in the country. The fact that we won 30 out of just about 250 awards that were distributed among over 3,000 students goes to show the commitment of our students to give their best and emerge as winners. These ‘human calculators’ are the future of the UAE, and we are confident that through the UCMAS programme we are further honing their skills. I would like to offer my best wishes to all the participants and their parents on this glorious success.”