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| Sunday, 10 April 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Learning maths the Singaaporean way Do you know what the Singapore maths programme is? It is the model devised by Singapore to teach mathematics to students in schools, and is now rapidly gaining popularity in other countries. The schools in the United States which applied this method found that maths proficiency levels increased among schoolchildren while their interest in the subject also increased. College Gardens Elementary School, which is close to Washington DC, is one such place where Singaporean maths has been adopted for pupils from Grade 1 to 4. It was one of the schools selected for the pilot programme to launch the method. According to the teachers, students now learn maths with great interest and enthusiasm. This is a very different scenario in the USA where educators have been moaning the decline of maths proficiency, and where it is difficult for teachers even to get the basics across. The Singaporean method is said to put across maths concepts more clearly, in a more systemic and precise way and ensure that the children have gained a firm grasp on the topic by reviewing it, before moving on to the next topic. A three-step approach, concrete, pictorial and abstract, is adopted. The books contain diagrams which help explain the concept to the pupils, and everyday examples they can relate to. Other countries began taking note of the programme when Singapore emerged on top among 37 countries in the 1995 and 1999 rankings of the Trends in International Mathematics and Sciences Study. In the latest ranking, Singapore again ranked Number One while American pupils emerged 12 out of 49 countries. Although there was initial reluctance among American schools to adopt the programme, it has proven to be so successful that over 200 schools are now teaching maths the Singaporean way. About 10 American universities have also started showing trainee teachers how to use the Singapore books. ########## Education Ministry launches website The Education Ministry has launched a special website (www.education.gov.lk) to boost the implementation of the relief and reconstruction programme for tsunami-damaged schools. This website is designed to provide vital information on the relief and reconstruction activities carried out by the Ministry. The reconstruction of 15 of the 182 schools directly damaged by the tsunami has already begun and the reconstruction programme is expected to be in full swing this month. The renovation and upgrading of 361 schools will also commence in April, the Education Ministry said. The Ministry prepared swift plans for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the affected schools. It received overwhelming support from foreign Governments, local and international NGOs, expatriates, private sector organizations and individuals for the reconstruction, rehabilitation and upgrading of schools which were damaged by the tsunami. ######### Japanese Peace Ambassadors meet President
The Sri Lankan children taking part in the programme will stay with Sri Lankan families residing in Japan, during their visit to the country. They will take part in several projects initiated by the Ministry of Education. The visiting students presented several cultural items, which focused on co-existence. President Kumaratunga presented them with souvenirs and appreciated their goals of promoting international solidarity through student exchange programmes. The President also took the opportunity to thank Japan for the massive aid given to rebuild Sri Lanka's economy, which was devastated in the 20-year-old war and by the recent tsunami. She also extended her greetings to the 2005 APCC Convention to be held in Fukuoka. The APCC assembles in Fukuoka, Japan annually with the objective of propagating peace across the world. This year's convention will be held from July 13 to 26. Peace Ambassadors are given the responsibility of setting up their own club in their respective countries to spread the APCC message of peace and friendship throughout the region. A selected group of Sri Lankan children who were successful in the Year
5 scholarship scheme will attend the convention in Japan as the local
Peace Ambassadors.
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
A Japanese delegation of Peace Ambassadors who are taking part in the
17th Asia-Pacific Children's Convention (APCC), called on President
Chandrika Kumaratunga recently. The group of Japanese children and their
adult guardians were in the island recently under this student exchange
programme, a news release from the Presidential Secretariat stated. 
