Rwandan students shine at Africa Abacus Mental Math Olympiad

KIGALI, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Rwandan students delivered outstanding performances on Saturday at the second Africa "Shenmo Cup" Abacus Mental Math Olympiad in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.

The competition brought together hundreds of children from nearly 30 African countries under the theme "Empowering Young Minds, Realizing Africa's Dream."

The abacus mental math program helps children develop strong numerical thinking skills by using the abacus as a visualization tool. Through this training, basic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division become faster and more intuitive. The program mainly targets children aged four to 12.

Li Mianjun, president of Shenmo Education Group, said the abacus mental math technique is more than a calculation tool -- it is a holistic learning approach that strengthens mental resilience, memory, creativity, concentration, and personal growth.

The abacus trains the brain the way sports train the body, Li said, adding that owning a basketball does not make one a player -- skill comes from consistent practice. In the same way, a strong mind is built through disciplined mental exercise.

Nelson Mbarushimana, director general of the Rwanda Education Board, said that the event was organized under the guidance of the Ministry of Education, in partnership with Rwanda's education stakeholders. He stressed that the event is a celebration of learning methods that Rwanda values -- discipline, numerical fluency, creativity, and cognitive development.

He added that these qualities align with Rwanda's competency-based curriculum and its long-term vision for education. The Olympiad, he noted, gathered students aged six to 20, representing a promising generation of future innovators.

Jean-Pierre Muhoza, managing director of Shenmo Education Rwanda, emphasized that mathematics is more than a school subject; it is the foundation of logic, innovation, and problem-solving.

Mathematics is at the heart of building smart cities, technological development, and the jobs of the future, Muhoza said. "Across many African countries, students continue to struggle with mathematics not because they lack ability, but because our teaching systems require more innovation, creativity, and modernization."

Established in Beijing in 1998, Shenmo Education operates more than 8,000 branches worldwide and is recognized as a global pioneer in Abacus Mental Arithmetic teaching. ■