A SOUTHAMPTON schoolboy has won a global maths competition.

Yayin Niyukth Reddy was one of 12 winners of the most recent international Mental Maths Olympiad.

He was awarded second place in the four to five age category.

Launched by The British Youth International College (BYITC), the Olympiad competition was based on the school’s innovative Abacus Maths training programme.

His father, Chaitanya Gowni, said: "The Maths Olympiad conducted by BYITC is a good initiative, as the kids get an opportunity to test their problem solving skills.

"As a parent we are very keen for more of this kind of competition. We are very grateful for the support."

Students were presented with a series of mental arithmetic problems to test the skills they have honed through Supermaths tuition and other learning methods.

The challenge, carried out online, was open to students worldwide.

BYITC founder Dr Rashmi Mantri said: “Congratulations go to all the winners and runners-up of The Mental Maths Olympiad. We were pleased to have so many from out overseas competing also.

“The competition challenged our students, and others, to engage with their training in a fun and interactive way, and, by having it open to people from all over the world, let them see how far they have already come.

“We know that working on arithmetic problems alone can be monotonous, so we introduced a competitive element so that students can improve their analytical skills in a more dynamic way.”

Dr Mantri added: “Many children have been left behind in their maths learning because of the Covid pandemic and our competition is a modest contribution towards helping them catch-up by raising their interest in mental maths skills.

“We believe Abacus training is one of the most effective ways to learn Maths.

“But it’s not just about getting good grades – it is a highly effective tool for general cognitive development and we would love to see increased co-operation from all learning organisations that recognise the importance of improved mental maths skills.”