Months of disciplined practice, determination and a passion for numbers have earned Grade Four Pinnacle College Ridge View learner Yahya Ameen a place on the A+ Students Gauteng Provincial Mental Math Team, where he will represent the province at the 20th National Championship in September.

The nine-year-old secured his place after achieving a Champion (Top 10%) placing at the regional competition earlier this year, an accomplishment he describes as another step towards his dream of representing South Africa.

Speaking about the moment he found out he had been selected, Yahya said the news came as an emotional surprise.

“I felt like I wanted to cry because I worked so hard, and it’s one step closer to my dream of representing South Africa,” he said.

His mother revealed the news during the school holidays by first handing him a limited-edition Lego soccer set before telling him he had made the Gauteng team.

Although this will be Yahya’s second consecutive appearance at the national championships, it will be his first as an official member of the Gauteng team. Asked what it means to represent the province, he said he is looking forward to competing alongside the province’s top performers.

“It’s very exciting to go to Nationals for the second time in a row, and this year I’m aiming for Champion of Champions,” he said. “I think it’s great to work together to try and get our province to the top of South Africa. I’m really proud to represent Gauteng and make my sensei, my family, my school, my teachers and myself proud.”

His success did not happen overnight. When asked how he prepared for the regional competition, Yahya explained that he followed a personalised Taiwan/ Japanese method seven-day training programme developed by his Sensei (abacus teacher), Heather Harding Parker.

The programme focused on different aspects of the competition, including accuracy on the soroban (abacus), speed, endurance, multiplication and division drills, and full mock examinations. He also completed weekly mock tests in class and practised regularly at home.

His journey has not been without challenges. Yahya shared that learning squares and square roots under strict time limits initially tested him.

“We had to do 30 of those questions in just one minute. I practised really hard, and it went from being my greatest challenge to my best paper of the whole exam. I got full marks,” he said.

He credits much of his success to the support of his parents and Sensei Heather. While his parents encouraged him and helped him practise, he said his Sensei inspired him to keep improving through her own achievements in abacus and mental arithmetic.

Yahya also acknowledged the role Pinnacle College Ridge View has played in developing his confidence, saying his teachers recognised his mathematical ability from an early age and continually challenged him to grow.

Looking ahead to the national championship, Yahya said his goal is to make Gauteng proud by giving his best in every event. Beyond the competition, he hopes his experience encourages other learners to believe in themselves.

For other learners who would like to improve their math skills or also participate in mental maths competitions, Yahya said, “My biggest tip is to start practising early. If a question is really hard, don’t say, ‘I can’t do it.’ Say, ‘I can’t do it yet.’ If you keep practising and putting in the hard work, you can achieve your goals.”