Emmanuel Sombo Zumakpeh, Upper East Regional Director of Education on Wednesday noted that grooming children at an early age to unearth their talents, was a sure way for excellence and later academic achievement.

Mr Zumakpeh said this in an address read on his behalf by Mr Jonh Bobi, Chief Inspector of schools and Public Relations Officer, Ghana Education Service (GES).

He said a strong foundation in Mathematics was important for children’s success both at school and the job market, and therefore preparing and removing fear of Mathematics in them when they were young, gave them more opportunities for excellence.

The Education Director was addressing teachers and pupils from both public and private schools during the launch of the Universal Concept Mental Arithmetic System (UCMAS) in Bolgatatnga.

He urged teachers to embrace and appropriately use the approach to help school children learn and widen their knowledge.

He said UCMAS helped pupils to solve Mathematics problems, and demystify in them the fear surrounding the subject and gave them opportunity to learn and play.

He said schools in the region were willing to adopt UCMAS because of the gains being derived by colleagues who had earlier been on the programme and indicated that it would help improve performance of pupils in external examination.

He commended the agency for bringing the intervention to the doorsteps of the people in the region and urged all to accept the concept and ensure it worked.

Mr Issac Dwobeng, Director of UCMAS, reiterated that the programme would not only provide quality learning environment but contribute to brain development in children at a rapid rate.

He called for increased passion for change in the education sector and among the children which according to him would bring improvement and change.

He said UCMAS was developed for children between 4 and 13 years to develop reflective ways of problem solving skills, enhance retention, creativity speed and accuracy as well as optimize whole brain development.