(Beijing Venue)
(Some council members of WAAMA attended online)
On October 28, 2022, the 4th Enlarged Meeting of the Fifth Council of the World Association of Abacus and Mental Arithmetic (hereinafter referred to as “WAAMA”) and the International Academic Seminar on Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Founding of WAAMA was held via videoconferencing, attended by council members from China, Hong Kong (China), Taiwan (China), Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Tonga, the United Kingdom as well as other countries and regions. Liu Jianhua, Chairwoman of WAAMA, delivered a speech at the meeting. Cheng Beiping, Secretary-General of WAAMA, presided over the conference address. Wang Yanling and Zhao Xiangyi (Assistants to Secretary-Generals of WAAMA) and representatives of some non-council members from Indonesia, Russia and Singapore attended the meeting. A total of 64 council members and guests attended the meeting online and offline.
(Liu Jianhua, Chairwoman of the World Association of Abacus and Mental Arithmetic)
(Cheng Beiping, Secretary-General of the World Association of Abacus and Mental Arithmetic)
In her speech, Chairwoman Liu Jianhua paid special tribute to the founding president and vice presidents of the First Council of WAAMA, such as Chi Haibin, Eiji Katoh, Paula Bloomfield, Hwang Ho Joong, Yeh Tseng-Yi, Jeremy Ng. and Ronnie Chong. Chairwoman Liu Jianhua pointed out that in the past 20 years since its founding, WAAMA has been adhering to the purpose of “promoting the abacus culture, strengthening communication and cooperation, pushing ahead with the spreading and development of abacus and mental arithmetic in the world, and bringing the inspiration role of abacus and mental arithmetic into full play so as to create benefits for mankind”. With the joint efforts of all members, WAAMA has made important achievements in organizational construction, academic exchange, competition and appraisal, education and teaching, member service and other aspects.
She said that, reviewing existing achievements, we should further sum up experience, make exploration and innovation, carry on good ideas and good practices, continue theoretical researches, constantly innovate protection methods, strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and better serve the general members, so as to promote the long-term and healthy development of the abacus and mental arithmetic cause worldwide.
Vice Chairmen of WAAMA delivered speeches respectively.
(Kudo Toshikazu, Vice Chairman)
Kudo Toshikazu, Vice Chairman of WAAMA and President of the League for Soroban Education of Japan. Inc. highly appreciated the cultural value of the inclusion of Chinese Zhusuan in the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, and stressed the need to further strengthen cooperation and give full play to the new advantages of abacus and mental arithmetic.
(Hwang Ho Joong, Vice Chairman)
Hwang Ho Joong, Vice Chairman of WAAMA and Chairman of Korea Institution of International Abacus and Mathematics Association, South Korea, said that, in the past 20 years since its founding, WAAMA has made great efforts to develop abacus and mental arithmetic education and friendly cultural exchanges among countries (regions), in which China has made important contributions.
(Hsiao, Chiu-Yung, Vice Chairman)
Hsiao, Chiu-Yung, Vice Chairman of WAAMA and Vice President of the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce, Taiwan, China and Chairman of the Mathematical Committee of Abacus and Mental Arithmetic, Taiwan, China pointed out that, led by Chairwoman Liu Jianhua, the Fifth Council of WAAMA has made continuous innovation in the implementation of inheritance protection and the enrichment of promotion connotation, bringing the abacus culture inherited for thousands of years to a new era.
(Alexsander K. Taslim, Vice Chairman)
Alexsander K. Taslim, Vice Chairman of WAAMA and President of SEMPOA SIP Indonesia, said that WAAMA has been promoting the research and development of the abacus and mental arithmetic, and the international competitions organized by WAAMA have won the world reputation with excellent standards, which greatly enhances the international reputation of WAAMA.
Mr. Alexsander K. Taslim, Vice Chairman of WAAMA, presided over the symposium. A total of three experts made academic exchange.
(Chen Feiyan, professor and doctoral supervisor from Zhejiang University)
Chen Feiyan, professor and doctoral supervisor from Zhejiang University, introduced his paper Discussion on Abacus-based Mental Arithmetic and Brain Science, stating her team demonstrated that abacus and mental arithmetic training has a positive effect on improving cognitive abilities such as basic arithmetic, visuospatial ability, working memory and cognitive flexibility through a series of experiments.
(Okahisa Yasuo, Vice President of League for Soroban Education of Japan. Inc.)
Okahisa Yasuo, Vice President of League for Soroban Education of Japan. Inc., introduced the content of “abacus” in the primary school education syllabus issued by Japanese MEXT through his paper The Current Situation and Future of Calculation on the Abacus in School Education and Private Education in Japan, pointing out the advantages and applications of abacus in mathematics, and further proposing suggestions for the revision of the primary school education syllabus in Japan by 2030. He also explained in detail the question types set by private educational institutions in Japan for abacus level examination, and pointed out that the abacus should be used as a teaching tool to acquire the concepts of numbers, and new textbooks should be developed on this basis.
(Kwon Hyuksik, Vice Chairman of Korea Institution of International Abacus and Mathematics Association, South Korea)
Mr. Kwon Hyuksik, Vice Chairman of Korea Institution of International Abacus and Mathematics Association, South Korea, shared his thoughts on the development direction of abacus and mental arithmetic education. He pointed out that in the face of reduced use of abacus in accounting and tax work as well as the declining birth rate of population, it is necessary to take universal abacus and mental arithmetic as the development direction of abacus education, emphasize that abacus and mental arithmetic plays an important role in improving calculation speed and concentration, and fully enhance the widespread acceptance of abacus and mental arithmetic education in the society.
(Speech by representatives of participating council members)
At the meeting, representatives of council members actively made speeches and offered suggestions for the development of WAAMA. Ms. Jin Zhongying, President of Australia Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Inc., introduced the enrollment and study of the organization and the progress of rating appraisal, and suggested that WAAMA should carry out teacher training in time according to actual needs. Ms. Lisa Wang, President of the ISTAR Education of Canada, introduced that the organization’s teaching practice covering all age groups has achieved good results, proving that abacus and mental arithmetic can benefit “everyone”, and suggested WAAMA to carry out online communication in competitions, training and teaching in light of the situation of the epidemic. Ms. Shumeiko Elena, Director of AMMA of Russia, introduced the foreign exchange, teaching materials and teaching activities of the organization. Mr. Li Sheng, Chairman of Taiwan Abacus Education Association, Taiwan, China, expressed his best wishes to the practitioners of the abacus and mental arithmetic cause all over the world, and hoped that the epidemic would disappear as soon as possible so that we can gather together. Ms. Nip Tin Sing, President of International Mathematics and Abacus Association, Hong Kong SAR, China, introduced that the organization adopted small class teaching and video teaching during the epidemic and has now resumed large class teaching currently, and wished that the WAAMA would take the 20th anniversary as a new milestone and have more opportunities to meet and communicate in future. Mr. Hwang Ho Joong, Chairman of Korea Institution of International Abacus and Mathematics Association, South Korea, said that he has been engaged in the development of abacus for 4-5 decades, and it is a great honor to witness the rapid development of WAAMA in the past two decades. He hoped that with East Asia and Southeast Asia as the center, WAAMA will continue to expand its scope of influence and enhance its international influence, and with the joint efforts of all members, WAAMA will promote the continuous development of basic human education.
Based on the brilliance in the past two decades, we have set sail for a new start. Founded on October 28, 2002, WAAMA is a joint organization of abacus and mental arithmetic education and research entities with strong influence in the international abacus circle. It will firmly stick to the important attribute of the abacus as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, and make continuous efforts in the protection and inheritance of the intangible cultural heritage of abacus and the education and promotion of the abacus and mental arithmetic education, so as to make new positive contributions to promoting the worldwide inheritance of the intangible cultural heritage of abacus.