Kumon educational project’s second phase announced

The programme aims at developing and improving the thinking and mathematical reasoning skills of Abu Dhabi’s schoolchildren.

The programme is supervised and sponsored by Jodco, a leading Japanese company in the field of oil exploration, in affiliation with the Abu Dhabi Education Zone and the Emirates Foundation, which is sponsoring participating students.

The ceremony was organised by Jodco. A number of senior officials from Jodco attended the event in addition to the implementation team of the Kumon Programme for Educational Excellence, as well as students who are enrolled in the programme and their families.

“The educational policy in the UAE focuses on cooperating with the elite educational institutions and programmes from around the world. We also try to benefit from the efforts being made to enhance and develop the scientific and creative thinking skills necessary to prepare students for the future.

“These students will attain a better understanding of the rapid pace of scientific developments being made in this country,” Mohammed Salem Al Thaheri, Director of the Abu Dhabi Education Zone, said.

“The Kumon programme is one of the most important specialised education programmes in mathematics and aims at improving the skills of participants to find better solutions to scientific problems. It also develops their concentration skills which will be positively reflected in their results,” he added.

Yoshita Yokote, Executive Managing Director, Jodco, said that the company has been working with educational officials on the implementation of the Kumon programme in Abu Dhabi since 1998.

He cited the company’s desire to assist in the enhancement of the educational environment in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Yokote added that the Jodco-Kumon project started with only 361 students from the Al Ghazali Model School, and grew successfully, thanks to the assistance of the Abu Dhabi Education Zone and the Ministry of Education in recruiting students who have an extraordinary aptitude for mathematics.

Now, the number of enrolled students has reached 2,300, who come from different model schools in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

Omar Ghobash, Deputy CEO of the Emirates Foundation, said that the UAE is witnessing major developments in scientific, economic and social sectors, including education.

Ghobash stressed that this would not have occurred without the extended vision of the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the true support of His Highness President Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Their leadership has facilitated the personal improvement of individuals and has enhanced the social and technical growth of the UAE.