(8 Jan 2018) LEADIN:
An Egyptian boy has won an international title for solving complex mental arithmetic problems.
Abdel Rahman Hussein's victory in the Malaysia contest has seen him hailed as "the smartest kid in the world".
STORYLINE:
A tool fit for a maths genius.
Thirteen year-old Abdel Rahman Hussein shows how he uses an abacus to calculate sums.
And he's now a world champion at solving the conundrums.
He competed at the IMA (Intelligent Mental Arithmetic) Competition 2017 in Malaysia last month.
Abdel solved 230 maths problems in eight minutes, all in his head, to beat 3,000 other children from 70 different countries to clinch the title.
"I was very happy and I cried from happiness. I was overjoyed because I'd achieved something for myself and for Egypt," he says.
It means he can claim to be one of the cleverest kids in the world.
He's reached this level by training here at the IMA's Cairo centre. He's been taking classes for five years.
Abdel shows how he goes about completing a four-page worksheet.
As he solves problems, his fingers move as if manipulating the abacus.
"I've become faster at everything. And I think in a different way," he says.
He's been helped to reach this level by his instructor Batool Mohamed Montasser.
But she gives him all the credit for his success.
"He had set this goal for himself, and was working on how to reach this goal by himself. I, of course, was having him focus on certain things, and helping him to fix certain things, but he has the patience and the commitment," she says.
Mental arithmetic is a discipline of learning to solve complex arithmetic problems without making notes.
Students first learn to use an abacus, an ancient Chinese calculator, until they can recreate it and manipulate it in their head.
"We work on how to improve the children's memory, their speed, their creativity, and their observation," explains Montasser.
Abdel's victory has been celebrated in Egypt, with international, Arab and local newspapers calling him "the smartest child in the world."
The private school pupil serves as a strong contrast to many other students in the country.
For years, Egypt's public education system has been overcrowded and under-funded, and many schools rely on a curriculum of rote memorisation that experts say does very little to help foster creativity and problem-solving skills.
But Abdel's instructors hope one day all students in Egypt can learn maths this way.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
