SIP Abacus, a leading educational organization, hosted the SIP Abacus Regional Prodigy Competition 2023 in Pune this week. The grand event took place at the prestigious Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi.
The Chief Guest for the competition was Chandrakant Patil, Minister of Technical & Higher Education. The event was also graced by notable personalities including Sarita Kapoor, Principal of Jijamata English Medium School in Jejuri; Renuka Singh Merchant from Shivaji English Medium School & Jr College in Saswad; and Mahesh Ajay Bhalerao, Vice Principal of St. Joseph's English Medium School in Khalad.
The competition brought together a staggering total of 1,615 SIP Abacus students from 38 centres across Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Ahmednagar, and Western Maharashtra. During the event, the students showcased their mathematical prowess by solving approximately 300 problems in just 11 minutes. The problems covered various aspects such as Abacus, multiplication, and visual arithmetic sums.
In addition to the problem-solving challenge, the children participated in a Concentration Round where they tackled 100 sums in 3 minutes while being surrounded by lively music. This round demonstrated their computing skills, memory, and concentration abilities, all of which were acquired through the SIP Abacus program.
The regional prodigy competition serves as a stepping stone for the participants to qualify for the upcoming SIP National Prodigy competition, scheduled to take place in the coming months. Notably, SIP Abacus has previously earned recognition with 5 LIMCA Book of Records entries for the scale and format of their competitions, both in India and internationally.
The Trivandrum Regional Prodigy witnessed the presence of 1,615 students' parents, along with SIP Abacus India franchisee partners and employees. The event drew a crowd of over 4500 attendees.
Have never seen a miracle quite like this before: Patil
Addressing the students, Chief Guest Shree Chandrakant Patil expressed his admiration, stating, "I have witnessed many miracles in my social and political career spanning 45 years, but I have never seen a miracle quite like this before. SIP Academy, through its abacus training, is turning the national Education Policy into a reality. It is essential for children of this age to build long-term skills, just like the children of SIP Academy. I am delighted to see the concentration level and calculation speed of the students. In the next three years, this program will fully sponsor 100 underprivileged students in the Kothrud constituency."
Sibi Sekhar, Director of SIP Abacus, also addressed the students, expressing their vision of reaching one million minds in the future. He highlighted that SIP Abacus aims to expand its network across various cities, as their training equips students with advanced learning skills, which will undoubtedly lead to success in all aspects of life. The competition witnessed students participating in 16 different categories, and the champions for each category were duly recognized.
An abacus is a manual calculating tool that consists of a frame with rows of rods or wires, each containing a series of beads that can be moved back and forth. It is primarily used for performing arithmetic calculations, especially addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. By moving the beads on the rods, users can represent and manipulate numbers, making it easier to perform calculations. The abacus is used for developing mathematical skills and mental calculation abilities.
