Math for life

Want your child to be a genius? Reem Leila reports on a new pedagogical system that claims it can provide the goods

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It is scientifically proven that 85 per cent of a child's brain growth happens before the age of 13. So what should you do if you want to capitalise on this crucial phase? Now; there is a simple answer to the question: UCMAS, an internationally-renowned mental development programme created to help children develop their inner brain power. The programme originated in China, and soon spread all over the Far East. Now, at last, it has crossed into the Arab world, and for the first time, UCMAS is now available in Egypt.

The UCMAS programme is taught exclusively to children between the ages of four and 13 years old. Dino Wung, inventor of the programme, believes that the deceleration in the brain's growth rate after the age of 13 means it is vital to make the most of this period.

But the brain is not a simple organ. Neurologist Iman El-Banhawi explains that "the human brain is divided into left and right lobes. The left lobe controls the limbs on the right side of the body, and vice versa. Most children are taught to use their right hand for most of the things they do, like eating, writing, and so forth, which means the left lobe develops far more than the right lobe." In her view, children can develop their brains more fully and more evenly if they adopt the UCMAS programme.

The programme centres on learning to use an abacus with both hands to perform increasingly complex mental arithmetic operations. The abacus used comes in various sizes to match the different stages of the course, including brightly coloured versions to attract younger children. According to Nahla Amin, one of the programme trainers for Egypt, with the abacus you have to learn to use your fingers to make calculations. This is especially true of the thumb and forefinger, whose nerves connect directly to the brain.

"Children all over the world tend to dislike calculation, although it is a very important life skill," says Amin. "But avoiding mental arithmetic may lead to delays in the development of their brains." According to Amin, it has been proven that children who learn to use an abacus are more intelligent than those who do not.

"We use arithmetic to train the children," she explains, "but actually the programme has nothing to do with mathematics. Maths is just a tool."

According to Wegdan Taher, head of the UCMAS Egypt office, all the instructors have received one month of comprehensive and intensive training by experts from Malaysia. In addition, refresher courses will be provided every two months, and trainers will be re- evaluated regularly. "Those who are not up to our standards will be immediately excluded from the whole programme," Taher insisted. Contacts have already been made with the Ministry of Education, private training centres, nurseries, schools, and public libraries to help introduce the new system, and the first two training centres will open soon in Mohandessin and Nasr City.

A grading examination will be held at the end of each level to monitor the child's performance. "A national competition will be held once a year, and there will be an international contest every two years," Taher revealed.

According to Aida Abu Gharib, head of the Curriculum Development Department at the Ministry of Education, the UCMAS programme will improve the ability of our students to assimilate information. "The programme has the potential to improve students' self-confidence and self-reliance, enhance their photographic memory, and improve their concentration, comprehension and presentation skills," she told Al-Ahram Weekly.

Earlier this month a group of children who had already followed the programme gave a demonstration of their skills. They were able to perform calculations running to seven lines, where each line consisted of six double- digit numbers.

According to Taher, a general improvement can be seen in any student within the first six weeks. "Children who have completed six months of the programme are able to solve an equation of this size in two minutes. By the end of the programme, they will be able to perform calculations as long as 20 lines, in which each line consists of nine four-digit numbers, in only 32 seconds." And all these feats will be performed without the use of calculator, paper or pencil.

The course is divided into 10 levels and is taught over 30 months.

Nadia, a 36-year-old housewife, is sending her six-year-old daughter Tala to join the programme. "I always believed that Far Eastern science was much more useful than that of the West," she told the Weekly.

UCMAS course fees are quite affordable too. "A parent has to pay LE120 for the first month, LE140 for the second month, LE160 for the third month, and LE180 from the fourth month onwards, until the end of the course," Nadia explained. "We can easily spend more than this amount on completely trivial things! So it's much better to use the money to provide something useful for our children."