TEHRAN – Iranian talented children have ranked first in team category of the 19th Pan Pacific Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Association Global Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Championships which was held in Thailand on Sunday.

Children in 5 different age groups, including age 5-7 as group A, 8-9 group B, 10-11 group C, 12-14 group D and 15 or older in group E, annually attend the contest solving multiple math equations, including division, multiplication, square root, cube root, fractions, time, etc.

Iranian teams participated in the whole five age groups of the competitions; these 55 smart children won 3 “champion of champions” titles, 48 “champion” titles, three were ranked as the “first winner”, and one the “second winner”, head of Smart Kids institute Rouhollah Mokhberian said.

Some 55 children were selected among 388 students from all over the country in national competitions, he added.

The Smart Kids institute holds a national competition annually on August 2 to select members of the Iranian team for attending the PAMA global abacus championships. Children from 7 to 13 years of age take part in the competition to solve some 7 mathematical test sheets using abacuses.

Over 610 children from 24 countries participated in the event, Mokhberian noted.

Different countries, including, Taiwan, Thailand, Canada, Hong Kong, the United States, South Africa, Vietnam, South Korea, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Australia, India, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Tajikistan, and Yemen attended the international competition.

The championship, organized by a non-profit organization established in 1999, is an example of what can be achieved with early intervention in abacus math and mental arithmetic education. The purpose of the competition is to allow for the observation of mental arithmetic skills from all countries, to promote abacus and mental arithmetic education, and to improve friendships among participants from around the world.

The Iranian team consisting of 35 children ranked first in different categories of the 18th PAMA Global Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Championships held in Malaysia on December 30, 2018.

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