Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja
SIP Abacus and Brain Gym Learning Solution has introduced a globally-certified learning aid, ‘Abacus’ to simplify the teaching of mathematics, which has become the nightmare of many school children.
The Malaysian inventor of SIP Abacus, Kelvin Tham, who spoke at the unveiling of the aid in Abuja, noted that every child is smart, noting that the only snag is the mindset of the parents and the educator.
He stated that Abacus trained children are much more able to recall information faster than ordinary ones, listing its benefits to children to include ability to focus and concentrate, discipline, creativity, analytical thinking, and problems solving skills.
Others are visual, auditory and fine motor skills as well as speed and accuracy (precision).
The Malaysian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Datuk Lim, who was the special guest of honour at the unveiling of the teaching aid, said Abacus is very popular in Malaysia, noting that education is one of the main tools of cooperation between his country and Nigeria
The diplomat disclosed that about 15,000 Nigerian students at different levels of education currently study in Malaysia.
According to him, this placed Nigeria on the fourth or fifth position among the nations with the highest number of foreign students in Malaysia.
He expressed happiness that the  educational cooperation between Malaysia and Nigeria had progressed to the level of children through Abacus, adding: “mathematics is one of the subjects people are afraid of. Abacus has come to help children in maths.â€
The envoy pointed out that the presence of SIP Abacus in Nigeria would strengthen the teaching of mathematics and arouse the zeal of children in the subject.
He stressed the importance of teaching children with a view to developing global vision of peace, non-violence, social justice, cultural diversity and environmental awareness in order to make the world a better place.
According to him, going to school might pose some kind of challenge for some children, noting that mathematics in particular is one of the subjects children find challenging.
He stated however that the introduction of Abacus would strengthen the interest of children in learning mathematics by activating their brain gym.
In an interview, the Chairperson of EduCraft Nigeria, the franchise holder of SIP Abacus and Brain Gym Learning Solution in Nigeria, Mrs. Omolora Omotueme, said the essence of bringing the Abacus method to Nigeria was borne out of the need to erase the phobia for mathematics by most children due to the method of teaching the subject and the faulty foundation they had.
Omontueme also said that most Nigerian children find it difficult to fit into international schools because of the method of learning, a problem she said could be tackled through the integration of Abacus and brain gym learning methods.
