UK Government plans to introduce abacus math in schools

To catch up on the covid education disruption, the Department of Education in the UK has considered purchasing approximately 360,000 abacuses for the promotion of arithmetic knowledge to primary school students. It is part of a year-long “mastering number” program to be offered in up to 6,000 schools.

Significance of the Abacus

Debbie Morgan, the director for Primary Mathematics at the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM), said that the abacus is a simple but powerful equipment to help children conduct basic mental calculations. Research says that it develops flexibility and fluency with the number facts to help enhance progress in math and other subjects.

The decision was made by the department to explore the ways of supporting primary level math, which was disregarded in times of pandemic. The lowest estimated cost of 360,000 units is expected to be around £1.4 million. 

Teacher participants will be trained and given resources so that they can teach kids Abacus skills. The students will be taught a “number sense” session as part of their regular math class. The program is supposed to last for one school year. 

The importance of learning math through abacus is understood by countries that are taking affirmative actions to introduce abacus to their students. We at Japanese Abacus Math School have been helping students excel in math for more than 20 years and would like to help your child too. Schedule a meeting with us to find out more.

Read this to learn more about how abacus is gaining interest globally across different countries.

https://jamsportland.com/2021/11/24/sonoran-abacus-gains-interest-globally/