Fotua Government Primary School won the overall competition of soroban in Ha’apai with Faleloa Government Primary School coming in second place and Pangai Government Primary School winning third place.
Radio Tonga reports a total of 216 soroban students from Class 3 to Class 5 competed this year in the written examination, oral examination, and flash examination.
Six Government Primary Schools participated in the competition; GPS Fakakai, GPS Faleloa, GPS Fotua, GPS Koulo, GPS Pangai and GPS Tongoleleka
The top three students in the written examination from Classes 3 and 4 are to represent Ha’apai Primary Schools in the National Soroban Competition in Nuku’alofa, next year in March.
The Ministry of Education and Training has proven that soroban contributes to strengthen the mathematical skills of primary students and has incorporated soroban education as a compulsory element of the mathematics subjects from Class 3 to Class 5 for all Government Primary Schools.
This year’s Competition started from Ha’apai.
The other will be held in Vava’u on August 4, and later for Tongatapu on the 16th, 18th and 25th of August. The competition for ‘Eua Island will be on September 8th 2016.
The National Competition in March 2017 will joined by a group of young soroban students visiting from Japan.
The Soroban Competitions are supported by the Tonga Soroban Education Association, JICA Tonga Office, and Japan International Soroban Diffusion Foundation.
The Embassy of Japan in Nuku’alofa and the Ministry of Education and Training have co-hosted the Soroban Competition since 2010.