12 Children Win in International Maths Challenge by BYITC Supermaths

The British Youth International College (BYITC) has announced the 12 winners of its International Maths Olympiad competition.

Glasgow - Zilkefal Khan

Out of the thousands of students who took part, the following children won from across the UK:

• Level 1 - Preesha Kumar Singh, 6, Manchester 

• Level 2 - Parin Vaghani, 6, Basingstoke

• Level 3 - Alden Ashly, 10, Edinburgh

• Level 4/1A - Aariz Samir, 7, London

• Level 5/2A - Ameya Mathew, 10, London

• Level 6/3A - Joana Alencherry, 10, Ardkeen, NI

• Level 7/4A- Tafari Brown, 12, London

• Level 8/5A - Rasvitha Rajinikanthan, 9, London

• Level 9/6A - Zilkefal Khan, 10, Glasgow

• Level 10/7A- Aaron Nanda, 10, Glasgow

• Level 11/8A- Vishruth Keshettivar, 9, Basingstoke

• All MT (mental theory) - Ojas Maniyar, 10, Glasgow

“What a proud moment for our entire family. Nothing gives one more joy than seeing own children’s getting success. We cannot thank you and your team of teachers more for being so professional and patient with all kids,” said the parents of one of the youngest winners, 6 year old Preesha from Manchester.

First launched in February 2022, the most recent International Maths Olympiad in October coincided with National Maths Week Scotland and marked the third iteration of the innovative competition organised exclusively for BYITC Supermaths students across the world.

The first-of-its-kind challenge is based on the school’s pioneering Abacus Maths instruction. There were 50 questions in total and results were based on accuracy and time. The questions were set keeping in mind the complexities and advanced levels of each category. Students used concepts like finger, Abacus, and Mental theory. The top performers across each of ten levels of BYITC Supermaths training were awarded certificates and prizes for their impressive arithmetic skills.

BYITC’s Founder Dr Rashmi Mantri, said, “The National Abacus Maths Challenge continues to be a success and the students love to compete in it each year. It was created to identify, assess and celebrate students who show extraordinary Abacus Maths skills."

“Everyone, and especially children, learns best when their imagination, as well as their logical thinking skills are fully engaged on a problem or challenge. Add to that a fun element of competition and you begin to see youngsters making great progress in their performances."

“A principal aim of BYITC is to uncover the huge asset of untutored talent and ability which we know exists in every community and to channel it towards extraordinary performance in numeracy. As such, the BYITC Abacus Maths Challenge is a real game changer.”

A core component of the BYITC’s approach to Maths teaching, Abacus Maths training is introduced to students through the Supermaths Abacus programme.

Kids are taught to calculate sums by visualising an Abacus board and use their fingers to manipulate imaginary beads. This not only allows them to do rapid mental arithmetic, but also stimulates cognitive development, improves memory and focus, and develops problem-solving skills.

Glasgow-based BYITC is now the UK’s largest provider of Abacus Maths classes and creator of the world’s first digital Abacus maths learning App.

Rashmi added, “By taking part in the International Maths Challenge, we hope our Supermaths students will further develop their interest in maths and enthusiasm for number crunching. The challenge not only improves their arithmetic skills, speed and accuracy, but also boosts their confidence.”