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What does UCMAS mean? UCMAS is the abbreviated form for Universal Concept Mental Arithmetic System. The inspiration for UCMAS was the ancient Chinese mental arithmetic system. There was a situation when people believed that proficiency in arithmetic was given to a select few - super intelligent people. Today, however, thanks to the 'abacus' way of learning arithmetic, kids from the age of four handle arithmetic with ease.
UCMAS has been running successfully in 7 countries, particularly in Malaysia, where UCMAS is part of the curriculum. The recognition and support UCMAS got in Malaysia, led me to believe that the response in India will be no less and also fired by a desire to prove that our children are second to none in the world, when it comes to mental and arithmetic skills, I decided to start UCMAS in India. Today I feel proud and happy that my confidence was not misplaced and my dream is coming true. Chennai, in particular, has been very good, with its cosmopolitan nature. A number of people from other States come to Chennai. Education and math are greatly respected by the people of Chennai. That is the reason I launched UCMAS first in Chennai, when I brought UCMAS to India. Today we have 90 centres all over the country, but our corporate headquarters is Chennai. What has been the response for UCMAS among Indians? UCMAS started with about 4 centres in India. Today 90 centres are functional. In Chennai alone, 38 centres are operational. In the early days, enrollment rate used to be about 20 or 30 students per month. Today, however, at least 5000 students are enrolled in each centre. Parents do not hesitate to spend time and money, when it is for their child(ren)'s skill/knowledge augmentation. A number of people are interested in becoming UCMAS franchisees. Apart from being a good business proposition, UCMAS gives one immense job satisfaction. This twin advantage has resulted in an overwhelming support. Has any State in India included UCMAS lessons as part of the school curriculum? The Juhu Centre UCMAS in Mumbai got so impressed with the progress made by the students, they became UCMAS franchisees. I believe that the Government of India and the TN Government will soon include the 'abacus' way of teaching mental arithmetic in the Central Board and State Board syllabi, respectively. On the most cherished awards? Sakunthala Devi, the well known maths wizard visited our centre once. She was amazed at 4-year-olds being able to match her prowess. Who wouldn't be amazed if a 4-year-old boy adds 10 digit numbers, without the help of a calculator and starts reeling off the answers in 25 seconds!
Your vision, your goal? My goal is to take UCMAS to not only the urban elite but to rural students as well. In a country that is home to 100 crore people, the number of people enrolled for UCMAS courses is hardly anything. I'm confident that many many more will join UCMAS very shortly. Though today UCMAS is looked at as a commercial educational institution, a few years down the line, UCMAS should metamorphosise into a top-notch service organisation and be able to provide quality education free, to deserving students. UCMAS' growth is making it almost like a school. Much like a nursery school, where one would expect to see about 400 or 500 kids, each of our centres has 400 or 500 kids enrolled for the UCMAS course. My plan is to achieve a growth rate similar to a high school or higher secondary school for UCMAS. I'm very confident of achieving this. On behalf of chennaionline, we wish you all the very best in all your endeavours! Published on 6th August, 2002
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UCMAS is today becoming a household word in Chennai. Very few parents would have not heard about UCMAS. In an exclusive chat with COL, Mr. Basheer Ahmed, Managing Director of UCMAS, talks in detail about this organisation that was established in 1999 and one that is growing rapidly....
How did you come to think of starting UCMAS in India? 
Thiru Lena Tamilvanan, who was a special invitee, for one of our programs in a school in
Mogappair, recently, was impressed and was all praise for UCMAS. We were very happy, since his kudos is something very special.
