Abacus competition held in Dubai

Pupils from across the UAE participated in the fifth annual National Abacus & Mental Arithmetic Competition on November 8 in Dubai.

Around 1500 number-crunchers competed against each other at the event, held at Al Nasr Leisureland, without using electronic calculators.

While only 24 pupils won the championships, over 300 trophies and prizes were awarded to other students.

The marathon quiz was held under 27 categories, through 11 levels, starting from kindergarten to students aged ten and above.

The quiz was organised by the UAE chapter of the Universal Concept of Mental Arithmetic System Education Group, a Malaysian company that globally promotes the abacus, among other courses, as a tool to boost brain power.

The abacus is a small frame made from wire or wood columns to slide beads up or down. It was used to perform basic arithmetic – addition, subtraction, multiplication, division – for centuries before numbers were written down.
For a full list of the champions and other winners, visit www.ucmasuae.com