Overview

As a global brand, UCMAS is the largest worldwide skill development programme promoting the universal concept of a mental arithmetic system for children between the ages of 6 and 13. Operational in 52 countries, UCMAS has trained more than a million students worldwide and about 25000 students across 27 centres in the United Arab Emirates since its inception in 2003. The UCMAS approach promotes holistic brain development and establishes core skills that greatly enhance the learning experience of the child with the aim of bringing out the best in every child. UCMAS is one of the programmes promoted by Abacus Quest Point (AQP), a company registered in the UAE and part of ARK Global Venture, a holding company registered in the United Kingdom. Other programmes promoted by AQP include DinoArt, Robotics and Vegaamath.

Origins of the Program

Universal Concept of mental arithmetic system is a skill development program that aims in bringing out the best in every child. The program originated in Malaysia and is now taught in more than 40 countries. UCMAS is focused on producing tangible results, enhancing creativity, concentration and confidence.

UCMAS was introduced in the UAE during the year 2003 by Mrs. Soundari Raj. Started as a small start-up venture, it is now being taught in over 27 different centers across the UAE and Oman. The UCMAS principal is Akademia Sempoa & Mental Arithmetic UCMAS Sdn. Bhd.,Malaysia is ISO 9001 : 2000 certified.

The Abacus (Mental Arithmetic)
The human brain is made of two hemispheres, that is the right and the left. The left brain which is associated with logic and analytical processing is well developed in most of the children through regular school curriculum. However, the right brain which is the seat of intelligence associated in a large measure to increased learning ability, Concentration, Perceptual capabilities and Imaging skills is not so well developed. UCMAS is a program which aims at developing and exploiting the capabilities of the right brain to the fullest extent possible through mental arithmetic.
Mental Arithmetic is a form of calculation that does not involve the use of any physical or external gadgets / instruments such as a calculator or a computer. They(calculations) are solely done by human mind using mental power. To achieve this, UCMAS utilizes an ancient Chinese tool called the Abacus. The children are taught to calculate using the abacus by mapping the beads to numbers in their mind and the calculations are performed by moving the beads accordingly. This way, through continued practice, the children register the numbers as images in their right brain and eventually can perform mental mathematics at exceptional speeds without the help of the abacus and their speeds are faster than that of electronic calculators.
According to scientific studies and research, mental abilities in children must be developed by the age of 12. Mental growth is most rapid before the age of 12. The degree of mental development achieved by a child during this time has a great influence over his/her future. That is why UCMAS is designed for children between the ages of 6-13.